Just before Christmas 2018, a Staffordshire bull terrier was filmed being dumped at a roadside in Stoke-on-Trent, England, and chasing the car that left him behind. The RSPCA released the footage, the dog was named Snoop, and the story spread worldwide, so far that rapper Snoop Dogg publicly offered him a home. The rapper did not end up adopting him: after months of recovery in RSPCA care, Snoop was rehomed in March 2019 with a man in rural Herefordshire.
What happened on that street in Stoke-on-Trent
CCTV from a residential street showed a silver car parking up. A person got out with the dog and a dog bed, put the bed down on the pavement, unclipped the lead and got back in the car. As the car pulled away, the dog ran after it and jumped up at the door, trying to get back in.
Roughly an hour later the dog was found sitting in his bed beside the road, apparently waiting. Staff at the vets where he was taken named him Snoop. The RSPCA shared the footage and opened an investigation to identify the owner. We covered the heartbreaking footage of the abandonment when it first appeared.
A frame from the CCTV footage released by the RSPCA, showing the dog being walked to the spot where he was left.
Moments later, Snoop jumps up at the car door as the driver prepares to leave. These images are what made the case so widely shared.
Snoop Dogg’s offer, and other famous fans
The coincidence of the name did not go unnoticed. Speaking to the Daily Star, Snoop Dogg called the dog’s treatment heartbreaking and said: “There is always room for another dog in Casa de Snoop.” He added that if the dog genuinely needed a home, he could have one with him, though he expected the publicity would bring plenty of loving offers.
Snoop Dogg on stage. The rapper’s offer turned a local animal-welfare case into an international news story.
He was not the only well-known name to speak up. Reports at the time said broadcaster Sue Perkins and journalist Andrew Neil were among those who offered to take the dog, and members of the public contacted the RSPCA from across the country.
Snoop appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, where presenter Charlotte Hawkins made a fuss of him. The on-screen caption notes that more than a million people had watched the video of him being dumped.
Why the RSPCA did not hand him over straight away
RSPCA inspector Natalie Perehovsky described the footage as heartbreaking, pointing out how clearly the dog had loved whoever was in that car. She said Snoop was in good physical condition and was an affectionate dog who loved attention, but that he was not yet ready to be rehomed.
Snoop on a lead after being taken into RSPCA care. Despite his ordeal, staff described him as friendly and keen to be stroked.
That caution is normal in animal rescue. Dogs that have been abandoned often need time for their behaviour to settle, and rescue centres usually assess a dog’s needs and match it with a suitable home rather than simply choosing the most famous applicant. A dog that has been left at a roadside may also be nervous of cars, strangers or being left alone, which a new owner needs to understand.
Recovery at Gonsal Farm and a new home
Snoop spent the following weeks at the RSPCA’s Gonsal Farm animal centre, where staff worked on his confidence. He had become very nervous and anxious after being abandoned and remained wary of getting into cars.
In March 2019 the charity announced he had found a permanent home with Laurence Squire, a 50-year-old man from rural Herefordshire who had lost his own Staffie the previous November. Squire said Snoop settled in straight away, and RSPCA spokeswoman Rachel Butler said the change in the dog was massive, summing up his new life in four words: “Snoop is living like a king.”
So the happy ending is real, just not the celebrity one many headlines hinted at. An offer of a home, public interest and a completed adoption are separate steps, and Snoop’s story went through all three.
Why dogs get abandoned, and what owners can do instead
Speaking about the case, the RSPCA inspector suggested that owners sometimes give up dogs because of cost or changes in family circumstances, but stressed that charities and dog homes exist to help and that there is no excuse for leaving an animal in the street.
If you can no longer care for a pet, practical options in the UK and elsewhere include:
- contacting a rescue charity or breed-specific rescue to arrange a proper handover;
- asking your vet about local support, including low-cost treatment schemes;
- talking to friends or family who may be able to foster while you sort things out;
- giving any new keeper the dog’s health records and details of its habits and fears.
Each of these gives the animal a far better chance than a roadside, where it risks traffic, cold and being picked up with no history at all.
If you see an animal being dumped
If you witness an animal being abandoned, make sure you and the animal are safe, note the time, place and any vehicle details, and contact the relevant animal-welfare charity or authority. In England and Wales that is the RSPCA. Footage like the CCTV in this case can help investigators trace the people responsible.
Snoop’s story caught the world’s attention because of a famous name, but the lesson applies to every abandoned pet: careful rescue work, patience and the right match matter more than how many people want to help on day one.
Video: the RSPCA footage of Snoop being left at the roadside was originally embedded below.
(The video originally embedded here is no longer available on YouTube.)
Sources: Fox News: Snoop Dogg seeks to help rehome abandoned dog (December 2018); SWNS: Dog named Snoop is finally rehomed (March 2019). Photos: RSPCA; Rick Davis / SplashNews; ITV Good Morning Britain.
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