“See how I act when adopters walk by my kennel? Very demure, very mindful,” says the voiceover on a video posted on the NYCACC TikTok account in early August. In the video, Pop is showing off how sweet he is. “See how I offer you my belly as soon as we meet? Very demure, very cutesy.”

Pop has all the qualities most dog owners are looking for—he’s affectionate, social, and very polite despite his size. Who wouldn’t want this demure gentleman in their home?

Harnessing the power of TikTok and a trend that has gone crazy viral, NYCACC got hundreds of thousands of views for Pop. In no time, Pop was getting adoption applications and I’m happy to report that Pop has since found his forever home!

@nycacc Status: Available for adoption at Queens ACC Pop is in need of emergency placement! We would love to see this demure and mindful boy find a loving home ️ @Jools Lebron A volunteer writes, “Everyone is talking about Pop. His pictures are so ridiculously cute and he’s just a few years old! When we meet him though, he is nonstop fun. His tail is just absolutely wiggling all over the place, and his butt shakes so much he almost hits himself in the face with it. Pop is excited to meet us and prefers pets and snuggles to any toys at the moment. On a dreary day, he is happy to be out and about and is our temporary ray of sunshine. He has a sweet sweet face and is so soft and snuggly. He just melts his whole body into each of us to get in enough snuggles for us all. In his little tshirt, Pop looks like a total heartbreaker. He is reported to be friendly and playful with strangers, children, and other dogs. His favorite activities are playing (obvi) and going for walks. He prefers to sleep on the couch to his bed. He is a very energetic young boy who would do best in a home ready to keep the good times rolling.” Pop’s Bio: https://nycacc.app/#/browse/168283 If you’re on mobile and unable to access the link, visit nycacc.app to search for Pop’s name or ID: 168283 #nycacc #boroughbred #shelterdogs #queensacc #nycactivities #demureandmindful original sound – Jools Lebron

Pop is one of the many dogs that Animal Care Centers of NYC has helped find a home in 2024. A big, handsome Pit Bull mix with a sweet face and an even sweeter personality, staff at NYCACC say that Pop is “nonstop fun. His tail is just absolutely wiggling all over the place, and his butt shakes so much he almost hits himself in the face with it.”

Pit Bulls and other Bully breeds are at a high risk of becoming long-term residents at animal shelters. Untrue breed stereotypes about Pit Bulls and widespread breed bans/housing restrictions make potential adopters less likely to choose a Pittie, so sometimes shelters need to get a little creative to get their dogs adopted. 

In Pop’s case, shelter staff decided to feature him in a video using the viral “very demure, very mindful” trend which perfectly embodies Pop’s personality. He’s sweet, affectionate, and playful, and even if he sometimes has too much energy for his own body to contain he still keeps it very cutesy!

Thanks to his very demure, very mindful behavior in the shelter, Pops got what every adoptable dog dreams of—a family to call his own. If stories like Pop’s touch you, don’t wait until a TikTok comes across your feed to adopt a dog. Visit your local animal shelter and meet some of the residents, your new four-legged best friend might be waiting for you!

If you’re not ready to adopt a dog of your own, consider searching for volunteer opportunities at your local shelters and animal rescues. Who knows, you might be able to help a dog find a forever home using your own favorite TikTok trend!

@joolieannie #fyp #demure original sound – Jools Lebron

If everyone you know has been calling themselves “demure” and “mindful” and you’re feeling lost, here’s everything you need to know about this summer’s most viral TikTok sound.

Created by Jools Lebron—a Chicago-based TikTok creator with over 2 million followers—the phrase “very demure, very mindful” began as a satirical take on how women are expected to perform femininity. Now adopted by the internet at large, the phrase has taken on new depth and is simultaneously used ironically to describe societal expectations and to name behaviors that might not be so “demure.”

“I started a new job, and I noticed that a lot of the older men that would come through my cashier line—I think maybe because I wear a lot of makeup and I’m blonde—they would kind of like, treat me I noticed like I was kind of air-headed,” said Jools Lebron in an interview with Good Morning America. “I thought it was kind of funny to put it on its head and be like ‘no, I’m very demure,’ and kind of make it its own character. I’m like, the complete opposite of what ‘demure’ is—I have long blonde hair, I wear heavy makeup, I have long acrylic nails—so to me, it was the fact that I’m not like the traditional definition of ‘demure’ that was the whole joke of it all.”

If this sounds like a surprisingly cerebral trend to gain so much traction, don’t worry, “very demure, very mindful” is ultimately a lighthearted trend. Jools has built her platform on beauty and makeup content, hilarious jokes, and the uplifting message that we should all be who we are, whatever that looks like.