Woman Reunites With Dog Seen on ‘Today’ Then Returns Him to Shelter

Ruth Torres, from the Bronx, N.Y., rarely watches NBC’s “Today” show, but she happened to be tuned in last Friday morning during the “Bow to Wow” segment featuring adoptable pets.

To her shock, one of the featured pets was her Irish Wolfhound, Dusty.

Torres couldn’t understand how her dog ended up on “Today” – she had left Dusty in her brother’s care three weeks before.

She immediately went to the Animal Care and Control Center in East Harlem to get her dog back. The shelter had picked up Dusty after her brother abandoned him at a dog run in the Bronx. Dusty was not microchipped, wearing tags or licensed.

“It was a miracle,” Torres told NBC New York last week in regard to watching the right channel at the right time. “That doesn’t happen like that, it’s no coincidence. I believe it was to get Dusty.”

However, it turns out that Dusty might have been better off if Torres had instead watched “Good Morning America” that morning. A few days after reuniting with her dog, Torres returned him to the Animal Care and Control Center.

According to NBC New York, Torres has recently moved in with her mother, and she said Dusty was “too wild” with her mother’s dogs. She told NBC New York she felt awful about giving up her dog.

A spokesman for the Animal Care and Control Center told NBC New York that several people have expressed interest in adopting Dusty. He said he hoped the dog finds a better home.

PHOTO: Lilly M

Laura Goldman

Laura Goldman is senior social media writer for i Love Dogs, Inc. She does love dogs. And elephants and turtles. Along with writing about the loves of her life, Laura likes to play with her two pound pups and tell anyone who’ll listen just how awesome Pit Bulls are.