A North East dog has gone viral for a sad reason - this is why

A dog at the Newcastle Dog & Cat Shelter, based in Benton, has gone viral on TikTok after shelter staff revealed that he has had no applications to be adopted since he arrived at the site in May.

Alfie, who is a three-year-old lurcher, was brought into the shelter as a stray via the dog warden, and upon his arrival, staff say that he was “terrified and completely shut down”.

According to the Newcastle Dog & Cat Shelter website, Alfie has “come out of his shell and is a very sweet and affectionate dog who loves getting attention from people”.

Alfie went viral on TikTok after shelter staff posted a video of him on the social media platform, with the lurcher receiving almost 215,000 views and more than 12,800 likes.

The post said: “Alfie has been with us since May 2025 and he hasn’t received a single application form - please apply today.

“Like and share this post too please so as many people see Alfie as possible.”

If you think you can give Alfie a home, then you can view his page at: https://www.dogandcatshelter.com/dogs/dogs-for-adoption/alfie/.