When Cinnamon, a red-nosed Pitbull, was left at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control shelter in North Carolina, she was devastated.
She’d been abandoned without her puppies, and whenever someone approached her, she appeared to be on the verge of tears.
One volunteer noticed the sorrow in Cinnamon’s eyes and decided to record a brief video of her, which they shared on Facebook.
Just two days later, everything changed for Cinnamon.
The Cry of a Shattered Heart
Photo credit: Sarah Jennings Sleime
Sarah Jennings Sleime, a volunteer with the Greater Charlotte SPCA, decided on a whim one Saturday to stop by animal control to check on some dogs for potential rescue.
She didn’t expect that one dog would completely capture her heart.
“I was walking through the kennels when I saw a pit bull sitting in a slumped, almost human-like position,” Sleime shared on Instagram.
It was clear Cinnamon had recently given birth and was mourning the absence of her pups.
Shelter staff suspected she had been used repeatedly for breeding, confined and forced to produce many litters.
Sleime approached and began speaking softly to Cinnamon—and each time, Cinnamon’s eyes welled up.
“It was surreal,” Sleime said.
With no foster homes available to take in large dogs, the SPCA couldn’t rescue her right away. But Sleime felt she had to act.
She recorded Cinnamon “crying” and posted the video online. Within 48 hours, it had been viewed over a million times and shared 20,000 times.
Her inbox was soon flooded with messages from people hoping to adopt Cinnamon and give her a new start.
A New Beginning
Among those who saw the emotional video was Meghan Connor Shelton of Charlotte, North Carolina.
“I have a soft spot for pit bulls—they’re often misunderstood,” Shelton told The Dodo. “Seeing her in that video, crying in a cage… I cried. My kids cried. I showed it to my husband, and he said we could go see her the next day.”
The very next morning, Shelton and her family were the first in line to meet Cinnamon.
The connection was instant. “It was love at first sight,” Shelton said. “She just tugged at our hearts.”
After completing the adoption process and waiting for her to be spayed, Cinnamon—now named Rosie—went home with her new family.
Photo credit: Sarah Jennings Sleime
The Sheltons already had another dog, a 3-year-old male pit bull named Blu. They were cautious about how the dogs would interact, especially considering Rosie’s traumatic past.
But to their relief, the two got along wonderfully right away.
“They just sat side by side, tails wagging,” Shelton said.
Now, Rosie and Blu are inseparable, as if they’ve been lifelong companions. As Rosie settled into her new life, her sweet and quirky personality emerged. One of her endearing habits? She snorts like a pig when excited.
Rosie’s viral video not only changed her life, but it also inspired other families to adopt, helping free up shelter space and save additional dogs from euthanasia.
“Even the smallest action can create a ripple effect,” Sleime shared. “Rosie was adopted the very next day, and other families who came hoping to adopt her ended up saving other dogs instead.”
Sometimes, one photo or video can reach millions—and change the course of a life forever.
To help more dogs like Rosie, visit CMPD Animal Care and Control or the Greater Charlotte SPCA to learn how you can adopt or support rescue efforts.
