When we think of what we want in life, many often dream of big houses, elaborate trips, and plenty of time for relaxation. It rarely crosses our minds to dream about having food on the table each night – having continual access to food is something many of us take for granted.

It’s the kind of luxury we don’t truly appreciate until we don’t have it anymore. Many of us are blessed enough to eat three meals a day, and even more if we want. When we don’t have access to food, though, we find ourselves in extremely uncomfortable situations.

While humans might be able to work to earn money to buy food, and wild animals can hunt, there are many domesticated animals who are left on the dangerous streets to fend for themselves. These animals have never learned how to hunt, and they can’t get food from the market like people can. These helpless creatures are forced to rely on the kindness of strangers in order to make it to the next meal.

World Animal Awareness Society is an amazing nonprofit organization that was created to “explore, observe, and produce programs about human animal interaction.” The group, created in 2010, uses the art of film to shed light on the struggles of animals in need.

“Our team of filmmakers have decades of experience documenting human-animal interaction and collaborating with government & non-government organizations all over the world, understanding the multitude of sensitive situations possible, working every human animal intersection and, intimately with producers and broadcasters to deliver their stories within budget, on time.”

The society was filming local homeless dogs when they caught footage of one that simply couldn’t be ignored. One dog in particular needed help so badly, and what he did blew the camera crew away.

The group had set out to collect footage for the American Strays project, which is supposed to track roaming dog populations in the US and document how these animals interact with humans across several different communities. They headed out to Detroit, where they followed a small group of dogs around the city. It wasn’t long before one of the dogs had captured their interest; the crew couldn’t help but follow him as they tried to understand what he was doing.

The dogs had been wandering as a pack throughout the city. When the camera crew found them, they were going about their daily business. But when one pup saw how captivated the humans were by his little pack, he got to thinking. Suddenly, this hungry dog came up with the perfect solution to get food into his empty belly.

He headed off, away from the crew, and they just had to know what was going on. When they finally figured it out, they were filled with love. “He left to go 5 houses over to get his food bowl so we would fill it for him,” the team shared on YouTube. They were able to capture this heart-wrenching moment on camera for all the world to see.

The dogs had been wandering together through strangers’ yards. When this pup realized that he could finally change his situation, he ran over to where his food bowl was. He picked it up in his mouth and started walking.

This dog carried his bowl all the way back to where the team was positioned. He continued to walk around with the bowl in his mouth – this was his way of begging someone to fill it. The humans’ hearts melted as they learned what was going on. This dog was in desperate need of help, and they couldn’t deny him his modest request.

The team happily obliged, giving the dog and his friends some much-needed nourishment. They were able to make a small difference by feeding these dogs, but they made an even greater impact by capturing the heart-wrenching scene on video.

Anyone who watches this video will immediately be overwhelmed with compassion. We can only imagine how starved this dog must have been to have run across multiple properties to ask for a bit of food. Moments like this remind us how lucky we are to have things like food and shelter, and how necessary it is to share our resources with those who aren’t so fortunate.

The video definitely made an impact on its viewers. Many of them praised the team for feeding these poor pups, and others expressed their anger that any animal would have to find itself in this type of situation.

“I struggle so hard every time I see this,” said Rebecca Vc. “Animals shouldn’t live this way!”

Of course, she is right. It is incredibly sad to imagine someone abandoning a pet and subjecting him or her to this kind of life.

Dogs haven’t hunted in the wild in so long that it is no longer second-nature to them. They have relied on humans for generations, and their lives are intimately connected with our own.

These loyal creatures have partnered with humans over many generations, and we owe it to them to keep them safe, well-fed, and loved.

If you are thinking about getting a pet, visit a shelter instead of a breeder! There are plenty of sweet creatures who need loving homes, and yours just might be a perfect match.

Watch more in the video below.

https://youtu.be/FYFInS2Rm_Q