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A late-night walk in Brooklyn turned into a life-altering rescue mission when Hunter Tonn and her fiancé heard faint cries coming from a trash area. The sounds were so unusual and heartbreaking that they stopped in their tracks to investigate. What they found would leave an indelible mark not just on them, but on millions of people who later watched their story unfold online.
Tonn, a 29-year-old New Yorker, described hearing “strange whimpering sounds” coming from a pile of trash bags. Using a knife, they began cutting through the heavy plastic. Inside, they found a tiny dog—tied up in two separate trash bags, discarded like garbage and barely clinging to life. He was soaked in urine and visibly injured. What should have been an ordinary night became a desperate effort to save a life.
The video posted on TikTok shows Tonn walking through the streets, crying, with the wounded dog in her arms. In that moment, the dog—later affectionately named Scrappy—seemed dazed and defeated. But hope flickered when they decided to take him home and clean him up. Within minutes, however, Scrappy began seizing. Without hesitation, they rushed him to an emergency veterinary clinic.
Once at the vet, the couple received devastating news: Scrappy had a broken jaw and possible neurological damage. His care would be extensive and expensive. The clinic offered two choices—either the couple could assume full responsibility for Scrappy’s treatment, or sign over his care to the vet, who would manage everything going forward. Given the estimated costs of $20,000 to $50,000, and without any online following or fundraising plan in place, they entrusted his care to the vet.
The video quickly went viral, garnering over 1.8 million views and flooding TikTok with support—and some criticism. Commenters expressed frustration that Scrappy was signed over rather than a fundraiser being started. Tonn, however, explained she had no idea the video would go viral or that people would be willing to donate.
Despite the backlash, she remains focused on the good: Scrappy’s story reached thousands, and that visibility could be key to both his recovery and justice. Tonn and her fiancé continue to monitor shelters like ACC and the ASPCA, hoping to one day foster the little fighter they saved from the unthinkable.
Scrappy’s rescue reminds us how fragile and precious life is, and how quickly everything can change because someone decided to stop and listen.
Click the video below to watch the full story:
@hunttonn we heard yelping coming from a trash area in Brooklyn last night. tearing open the trash, we found this little guy who had been tied up in 2 heavy duty trash bags and thrown away for garbage collection as we were taking him home to give him a bath, he started seizing, so we immediately took him to the ER vet. once we got there they said he had a broken jaw and probably some neurological damage , but he is safe and being treated there now❤️. posting this so we can find his owner and bring the little guy justice and hopefully stop this for any other pets in that household ❤️ pls if you live in nyc and have seen him report info to 311. and pls like/watch/share this tiktok for reach so we can find who did this!!! #dogsoftiktok #animalrescue #fyp ♬ Home – Matthew Hall
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This content was created with AI assistance and edited by the iHeartDogs team.
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