Heartbroken Facebook users have banded together to spread the word about a senior dog surrendered by his lifelong owners.

The 16-year-old Chihuahua's life was turned upside down when his previous owners didn't want to care for him anymore. They had Nasa all his life, but they grew "tired of waiting for him to die." The owners decided to surrender him to an animal shelter.

"The thought of us having to put him down here after he has lost everything he's ever known does not feel right to me," the shelter said in a message to Mac's Mission, a nonprofit focused on rescuing "homeless janky dogs" in need of medical and lifesaving care.

More From Newsweek Vault: Pet Insurance 101: How Much Does It Cost and Is It Worth the Price?

Mac's Mission was "outraged" about Nasa's case and immediately stepped in to save him despite having no space. The rescue group transported Nasa directly to his foster family.

Nasa's story was shared on Mac's Mission's August 26 Facebook page, and the organization hopes his future forever family will come forward to give him the best of his final days.

Nasa is vision- and hearing-impaired. The shelter where he was surrendered said it does not expect he will live much longer. However, they want him to be surrounded by love until the very end.

More From Newsweek Vault: Compare Top Pet Insurance Plans For Dogs

A representative from Mac's Mission told Newsweek there has been some adoption interest for Nasa since the post.

"We are hopeful he will have an adoption update very soon," the representative said.

More From Newsweek Vault: Lemonade Pet Insurance Review

Each year, 6.3 million pets enter U.S. shelters, which is an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, 24Petwatch's Shelter Watch Report found.

Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year. Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs and behavior rehabilitation.

What Do the Comments Say?

Nasa's Facebook post reached over 1,800 likes and 400 comments by Friday.

"People never cease to amaze me with their stupidity. You are in great hands little dude. Many prayers," wrote one Facebook user.

Another added: "This is heartbreaking! Thank you for helping this poor baby. Thank you for the person fostering this precious baby!"

A third person chimed in: "I cannot understand it. This dog has loved its people for 16 years and they dump it at the shelter because it won't die. Absolutely sick and disgusting."

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.