‘Every time I stopped to talk to her and say I was sorry, her eyes would fill with tears.’ A remarkable woman deserves immense praise for what she did next.

In 2017, Sarah Sleime, a regular visitor at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control shelter, recorded a video of a Pitbull mix named Cinnamon seemingly crying in the shelter. She then uploaded the heartbreaking footage to her Facebook.

Sarah Sleime is a dedicated visitor to her local animal shelter, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control. Shelters in North Carolina are often operating near capacity, housing many animals who have endured difficult lives. Sarah has always had a deep affection for animals and feels it is part of her life’s mission to help these shelter pets feel loved as they await their forever homes.

Every now and then, a particular dog captures Sarah’s heart for one reason or another. One such pooch was a mixed breed bulldog named Cinnamon. Her sweet face and tragic story deeply moved Sarah. “Every time I stopped to talk to her and say I was sorry, her eyes would fill with tears,” she wrote in the caption of her Facebook video.

Prior to ending up at the shelter, it appears that Cinnamon was primarily used for breeding. At 7 years old, she was abandoned at the shelter after evidently giving birth to several litters of puppies. However, none of her puppies were brought to the shelter with her. Sarah knew instantly that she had to do everything in her power to ensure that this special dog found a loving forever home.

Sarah noticed that not only did Cinnamon’s eyes show a profound yearning for a human family, but the dog seemed to shed tears whenever Sarah would pause to speak with her. Sarah capitalized on the power of social media by filming Cinnamon and sharing the video on Facebook.

The video quickly gained traction. Just a few days later, one of Sarah’s friends decided to adopt Cinnamon. Sarah then shared a heartwarming video of the day Cinnamon met her new family. This lovely dog behaved as though she had known her new human family her entire life. Cinnamon transformed from a despondent shelter dog to a joyful member of her new family, constantly smiling and wagging her tail.

Here is the uplifting video of Cinnamon’s journey from the shelter to her new, loving home: