They weren’t expecting that.
Published on Oct 3, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Staff at the Greenville Humane Society in South Carolina are used to being greeted by the adorably furry faces of adoptable pets each day.
But this week, a different kind of animal welcomed them to work.
“We saw a WEIRD dog today,” the humane society wrote in a post.
But the truth is, he wasn’t a dog at all.
Somehow, while no staff members were around to see it, a wild visitor entered the shelter grounds to tour the facilities.
It came as quite a surprise.
“So, picture this — it’s a totally normal day at the shelter. Dogs are barking, cats are judging us, everything’s business as usual,” the shelter wrote. “Then one of our staff members walks by the kennels … and stops dead in their tracks. Why? Because sitting proudly on top of a kennel, looking like he owned the place, was … an opossum.”
This was a first for shelter workers — but the situation was resolved smoothly.
“The opossum was certainly unexpected, but luckily, we’ve got some professional critter catchers on staff who didn’t mind scooping him up and returning him to the woods across the street!” a spokesperson for the shelter told The Dodo.
@gvlhumane We saw a WEIRD looking dog today (our oposssum friend was safely returned to the woods outside) #humanesociety#adoptdontshop#vetmed#possum#opossum♬ Jet2 Advert – ✈️A7-BBH | MAN 🇬🇧
Though the opossum was escorted back outside that day, the shelter staff suspect that he’s been there before, unseen, according to their spokesperson:
“We’ve never caught an opossum actually in our kennels, but we have a feeling it wasn’t his first time stealing kibble since he looked so plump and healthy!”
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“It’s a miracle to watch this happen in front of my eyes.”
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Fish Who Lived In Dirty Cup For 6 Months Looks So Different After Rescue
He’s doing so much better now ❤️
Betta fish lover Samantha doesn’t usually stop to look at the fish being sold in major pet stores. They’re kept in heartbreaking conditions — confined to tiny cups filled with cold, dirty water.
But on a trip to PetSmart about a month ago, something compelled her to check on the betta fish.
“I typically don’t stop at PetSmart to look at the bettas, but tonight, something in me just made me look,” Samantha, who preferred to have her last name omitted, said in a TikTok.
Up on the very top shelf, she spotted a distressed-looking fish. She noticed his container was labeled with a June date — but it was December. That meant the betta had been living in what was essentially a restaurant take-out container for six months.
Since the fish was labeled as free, Samantha was able to take him home without financially supporting PetSmart.
“I do not support stores that keep fish in such horrible conditions,” Samantha said.
When she got home with the betta, it became clear he was in very rough shape. His coloring was pale, he was having trouble swimming and he was too weak to even eat. She immediately started working on getting him healed.
Because the water in his container was so toxic, she had to gradually transition him to clean, temperature controlled water. Many people might not realize that bettas are tropical fish who need warm water to thrive.
With some help from her TikTok commenters, Samantha decided to name the fish Toothless, after the cartoon dragon.
After some medicine and just a few days in his new tank, Toothless turned from a sickly gray to a deep black, got his appetite back and started to swim more confidently. He even surprised Samantha by gaining so much strength that he was able to jump out of his tank. Samantha returned him to the water and installed a permanent lid.
Over the weeks that Samantha has had Toothless in her care, she’s enjoyed getting to know his unique temperament and preferences.
“He’s really interested in human interaction,” Samantha told The Dodo. “He watches everything that goes on in the room.”
Samantha has observed that bettas have much more individuality than people give them credit for.
“They’re such intelligent fish,” Samantha said. “They have such big personalities.”
If you’re interested in getting a betta fish, be sure to do your research and support a local rescue that keeps them in large, clean tanks.
While Toothless still has more healing to do, the massive improvement he’s shown has touched Samantha deeply.
“It’s been amazing for me to be able to do this,” Samantha said. “I care for him a lot, even though he’s just a fish.”
To keep up with Toothless, you can follow Samantha on TikTok here.
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