Abused Puppy Photo: $1 Per Share By Humane Society? Not Exactly.

A story circulating on Facebook shows a badly injured dog and includes the caption: This puppy was abused. For every ‘share’, the humane society will donate $1 towards his surgery.

Seeing a post saying that money will be donated for sharing it should be examined with great scrutiny. Just a few days ago we discussed a similar story about a baby, in which the caption also stated that $1 would be donated for every share. But let’s take the argument a little further.

Even if the Humane Society were making such donations, with over 65,000 shares, it’s quite certain enough money would have already been raised. Plus, the picture  was lifted from a January, 2010 article in which we read that the dog was named Adam, and was a victim of a chemical burn in Taiwan in late 2009. There was in fact an internet-based effort to fund his recovery. A kind lady in Washington State adopted the dog and renamed him “Lucky.” The article tells us that Lucky is now healthy and happy, and includes a photo of him with his new owner.

Seeing a shocking picture on Facebook is often accompanied by a caption containing a skewed version of the real story. Why people feel compelled to share a graphic picture with a phony story can be debated. Here at Waffles, we think the primary reason people do it is for the thrill of the notoriety that their fake story generates.

Be careful what you like and what you share. Jumping on a phony story’s bandwagon makes you a willing accomplice to these rumor mongers.