A rescue shelter is bringing joy to its residents by treating them to 'ice cream day' to cool down in the scorching heat. Volunteers at Michigan Animal Rescue League (MARL) in the US shared the love and filmed the dogs licking their tubs of pup-friendly ice cream.
Tommy Sanfilippo, animal care technician at MARL, told The Mirror : "We've had a few different volunteers bring in dog-friendly ice cream for the dogs, and it's been a great treat to give out on some of these extremely hot days we've had."
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The sweet video has gained popularity online showing 12 homeless pooches making the most of kennel life whilst they await families to take them home.
Bernard, Maxine, Princess and The Rock all feature in the footage, alongside Teslo, Bagel, Frisbee, Turnip, Noah, Lucy, Pampered Pete, and Brookie.
The video was originally posted on TikTok then shared on Reddit where it garnered 9,000 upvotes from animal lovers desperate to find the dogs homes.
"One of our awesome volunteers brought some dog-friendly ice cream to help our shelter pups stay cool on a hot day," the caption read.
Users were smitten with the dogs' reactions and said it made their day seeing them happy and healthy.
"I love the initial looks of curiosity/confusion followed by excitement," one person said.
"All of them are so cute and so polite," another commented, whilst a third wrote: "The world needs more people like this one."
"If I didn't live on the other side of the world, Bernard would be adopted by now," a fourth added.
Many people were amazed by the concept of dog-friendly ice cream, and owners shared their recipes in the comments.
"You can make some of this stuff homemade as well…it's basically chicken or beef broth or bone broth powder mixed with plain yogurt and frozen. These are always great treats!" someone explained.
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.
Last month, MARL treated its rescue pups to a 'chicken nugget day' - which brought many followers to tears.
The idea 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 passed around some nuggets as a little extra treat.
Tommy said: "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."
Do you have a dog story to share? Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
