A stray black dog clearly picked the right auto body shop to wander into when she approached a group of workers who were eager to help her.
Alec Fillinger (@aleczanderthegreat) shares footage of the visitor, who showed up outside his shop shortly after the crew moved into a new location.
“So this dog came up to the shop today, and we had never seen her before,” he explains in a voiceover. “Obviously, we’re new here, too. So she’s like, she needs some help.”
The dog is seen cautiously hanging around outside the building as the men try to gain her trust and give her some water. There is a visible mark around her muzzle where the skin had been rubbed raw.
Eventually, Fillinger says she began approaching him on her own. He says she even accepted some barbecue chips from his hand.
He narrates how he decided to pick up some supplies for her, running to the gas station to grab food, water, bowls, a bone, and a toy.
“I arrived back, and [it] looks like our little friend knew I had some goodies for her, cause she just looked excited to see me,” he says in the video. He offers her the toy, which she’s uninterested in, but the bone is a different story.
“She ran off, and she’s enjoying that as we speak,” he says, before panning to a little feeding station he set up for her.
The worker notes a troubling mark on the dog’s muzzle
Toward the end of the video, Fillinger draws attention to the mark around the dog’s snout. The still image appears to show a band of missing fur around her muzzle, leading him to suspect that “she’s unfortunately been abused.”
“It looks like someone probably tied her mouth shut at some point for an extended period of time,” he says. “And it just breaks my heart, man. I do not understand people. And I probably never will.”
His video has more than 930,000 views and has made the dog something of a celebrity.
Maggie Mae gets a second chance
Fillinger has posted updates on the dog, who he decided to name “Maggie Mae.” She appears to be increasingly open and friendly as she adjusts to her new environment.
In one clip, she’s seen approaching Fillinger and allowing him to pet her head. In another, she’s wagging her tail with increasing frequency.
Fillinger posted a video announcing that he opened a GoFundMe for Maggie. In it, he explains that the money would go to “vet care, healthier food, and healthier snacks.”
His original goal was $500. It has received more than $12,000 in donations at the time of writing.
“Clearly she’s been neglected and unfortunately abused,” the GoFundMe says. “She has scarring around her mouth that indicates someone tied her mouth shut for an extended period of time. It’s scabbing and appears to be fresh. She is malnourished, but we have been feeding her well.”
In a recent Maggie update, Fillinger says commenters have been asking him whether she’s vocal yet. He replies, “She’s not, really.” But he notes that “She does do a slight whimper my dogs do when they’re excited.”
“She clearly had some trauma, probably associated with barking would be my thoughts,” he suggests.
He adds that “It’ll be an exciting day when she feels confident and secure enough” to be vocal. He also thanks his viewers for all the love and support.
What could cause marks around a dog’s muzzle?
According to veterinary provider VCA Animal Hospitals, irritation and trauma to a dog’s muzzle can “cause hairs to break off near the skin’s surface, leading to inflammation in the hair follicle and eventual rupture.”
The mark visible on Maggie’s snout appears to have been caused by a rope or muzzle that was too small, moist, or unclean, or left on for long stretches of time.
Her body language in the original video, too, mimics that of a scared dog. She displays avoidance, a tucked tail, and slow movement.
In the video, Fillinger is very mindful of Maggie’s hesitation and gives her space to approach on her own rather than forcing her to interact.
This is the recommended approach, though experts advise contacting a local animal shelter or animal control agency.
Viewers noticed the change in Maggie, with one writing, “Every day you can [see] she’s coming out of her shell.” Another remarked, “Her body language is so different just in a few days!”
“You’ve made a happy dog out of her,” wrote another commenter. “She looks a little older, but she definitely deserves to be happy in her later years … I’m glad she found you.”
And a fourth wrote: “To put it lightly… I’d commit war crimes for Maggie. I hate bad people, but thank God she found YOUR shop of all places.”
It’s unclear what the future holds for Maggie Mae, but for now, she’s got a full bowl of food, fresh water, and a group of people taking care of her.
@aleczanderthegreat
Subplot News reached out to Alec Fillinger via TikTok direct message.
