We've all heard of the cat distribution system, but is there such a thing for dogs too? A couple on holiday in West Virginia found a scared dog on their Airbnb porch and after trying to help him find a new home, decided to make him part of their family.

A post shared on TikTok in April, under the username mariah_grace02, shows the pup, who now goes by the name Cooper, hiding behind a chair on the couple's Airbnb porch in Delbarton, West Virginia, looking scared and rundown. They immediately went to his rescue, giving him all the care and attention he needed.

The poster, Mariah Piacente, who will become Mrs. Southcott on June 22, told Newsweek that she recently went on a family trip to Delbarton to ride the Hatfield McCoy trails, and as she and her fiancé headed back to their cozy Airbnb her sister spotted a dog nearby and named him Cooper.

Piacente said: "My fiancé and I were the first to get back to the house and were soon met by my sister who was yelling up to me that she saw a group of dogs. Her and I were about to start heading down to where she saw them when we were greeted by a sweet dog (Cooper). I immediately noticed his scars and limp, I examined him further to make sure there were no open wounds, all I found were many tics.

"My sister and I went and got dog food that night and decided to walk down and feed the dogs. The next morning I went out and looked for Cooper. I called for the dogs and whistled and they all came out from under the next door lady's house. My sister and I decided to knock on her door and ask about them.

"The lady stated that the dogs are all strays and that they only stuck around because her kids would play with them and she would feed them on occasion. Each dog came with their own sad story and I only wish we could have taken them all home."

According to the poster all the dogs were shy but friendly. However, Cooper, who was the skinniest, with the most scars and tics, was the only one who would go up to the house and wait for them to come out.

After trying unsuccessfully to convince her parents to adopt him, Mariah and her fiancé decided to make him a part of their brand new family, and now Cooper is doing well and has "lots of smiles to give!"

Each year 6.3 million pets enter U.S. shelters, 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, according to the 24Pet Shelter Watch Report.

The Humane Society of Macomb, explains that the most common reasons for dog abandonment include age, allergies, behavioral issues, cleanup, costs, moving, new pets and shedding.

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.

Piacente's video quickly went viral and has so far received over 4 million views and 384,600 likes on TikTok.

One user, Kiara, commented: "The pain these poor animals go through and all they ask for is love. this breaks my heart please take care of him!"

Triplee1616 said: "This happened to us at an Airbnb, we were able to get her rescued right before our flight home."

Leo added: "Take him home and if you cant keep him take to a shelter near your home. If theres alot of strays in this area chances are shelters are packed. Take to your local shelter."

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