A rescue centre is going above and beyond to bring happiness to its dogs - with the help of trusty chicken nuggets.
The team at Michigan Animal Rescue League (MARL) in the US have treated their pups to 'chicken nugget day', and it's so sweet that it's brought people to tears.
The day came around when one member of staff decided to switch up the usual daily enrichment and bought some chicken nuggets on their lunch break.
As the dogs had already played with snuffle mats that morning, they decided to pass around some nuggets as a little extra treat.
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Tommy Sanfilippo, animal care technician at MARL, told The Mirror : "We take in over 1,500 animals annually, many of whom have been dealt a pretty rough hand in life.
"It's nice to be able to give them a special treat every now and then. It makes the animals happy, which makes us happy."
The video was originally posted on TikTok then shared on Reddit, where it went viral and stole the hearts of thousands of people.
It shows dogs Betsy, Teslo, Chewbacca, Daisy, Frisbee, Pippa, Hershey, Buzz and Spots, taking it in turns accepting a chicken nugget.
The post gained more than 31,000 upvotes and hundreds of comments, with fans besotted by the unique idea.
"Simultaneously the sweetest yet most heartbreaking vid," one person said.
"These are literally some of the cutest dogs I've ever seen in my life," a second commented.
"Brought tears to my eyes," someone wrote, and another said: "How did a video just melt my heart?"
MARL is one of southeast Michigan's most established animal shelters, serving the community since 1953.
Its mission is to provide the highest quality of life to dogs and cats through rescue, medical care, socialisation and support.
While chicken is a great source of protein, it's not advised to feed your dog chicken nuggets - those in small amounts, it is okay.
In excess, the processed treat can be bad for your dog's stomach and homemade canine-friendly nuggets would be a better alternative.
Another shelter making people smile is Dogs4Rescue in Manchester, which has treated its rescue dogs to sausages - if they can catch them in a game of whack-a-mole.
In a hilarious video, the pups were captured feeling very confused when their tasty treat disappeared back down the hole.
Some determined doggos succeeded in catching the sausages, while other frustrated pups gave up before they'd even tried.
Emma Billington at Dogs4Rescue said: "The bullies love it… and then there’s Stuart who is nobody's fool. Although he couldn't resist a Richmond meat free sausage in the end."
Do you have a fun dog story to share? Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
