The first meeting of a pet owner and their pet can be an emotional one, and so can their last meeting.

Non-profit society Voices For Animals (VFA), which runs an animal shelter, shared an account of a senior British Bulldog being handed over to them, including the "heartbreaking moment" when the dog began to whine when he saw his owner walking away — probably for the last time.

According to a Facebook post by VFA on May 31, the owner shared that an animal communicator had been engaged to talk to the dog, to convey the message that his owners could no longer keep him.

The animal communicator then relayed a reply from the bulldog, whose message to his owners was apparently: "I promised to be a good boy, can you please don’t give up on me?"

All of this was enough for the typically-skeptical VFA staff who witnessed the encounter to be convinced that the animal communicator was in fact expressing the dog's thoughts.

Why was the dog being left at the shelter?

The dog's owner had encountered "some unforeseen circumstances" and could no longer keep him, said VFA.

However, VFA did not share further details of why the male dog was being given up by his owner, saying that the situation was "very personal and private".

Focus is to find a new home

"We are uncertain of his past, but what we are [now] focusing is finding him a home and someone who is willing to give him a second chance," said VFA in its Facebook post.

VFA explained that the bulldog has a medical condition which causes his skin to flake, and which could dirty the house of any potential adopter.

Thus, potential adopters will need to be able to care for the dog through the process of recovery from the skin condition.

A potential owner might also need to restart the bulldog's toilet training and note that he could be "pretty rough" when it comes to feeding time.

With these considerations, VFA concluded that he might not be suitable for a family without prior experience in keeping a dog.

In the meantime, VFA said that it would be sending the dog for treatment at a vet.

If you are interested in adopting the bulldog or know someone who can give him a forever home, you can contact VFA: