Indiana Animal Rescue Worker Uses 'Dangle Test' to 'Show Dogs That Kind of Get Overlooked'

Mar. 15, 2025

Animal rescuer Cameron Shoppach of @does.it.dangle.Photo:does.it.dangle/ Instagram

does.it.dangle/ Instagram

One animal rescuer is going viral for sharing his adorable — and innovative — way of helping dogs and cats find their forever homes.

Cameron Shoppach, 31, is an employee atIndyHumanein Indianapolis, Indiana who has been nicknamed the facility’s “Dangler in Chief” for showcasing the technique known as “dangling” to test an animal’s temperament on social media.

AsUSA TODAYreports, not only has Shoppach gone viral acrossInstagramandTikTokfor his clips that see whether a furry friend’s personality is to dangle freely or wiggle away, but his videos have also led to upwards of 20 dogs being adopted and contributed to fundraising campaigns at IndyHumane.

Shoppach — whose job it is to familiarize himself with dogs at the shelter and facilitate play groups — explained toUSA TODAYthat he thought it would be fun to try out the temperament test typically used on cats and dogs he works with daily.

After finding that it could capture the dogs’ unique personalities as well, the IndyHumane staffer told the outlet that he realized his dangling videos could highlight the animals at IndyHumane to prospective adopters.

“I can show dogs that kind of get overlooked,” he said.

Cameron Shoppach of @does.it.dangle.does.it.dangle/ Instagram

Shoppach advises that the general public doesn’t try dangling animals himself, but the trained animal rescuer captures the test in each of hisvideos. In the clips, Shoppach records himself individually playing with the dog (orcat) he’s highlighting and then safely holds them for the dangle test to see if it’s within their instinct to sway back-and-forth or want to break away.

“Is it a dangle?” he asks before flashing an “X” or a check on the screen.

He also shares a bit more information about the animals up for adoption in the caption of each post, from more details about their personality to information about their background.

He opened up about just how playful a dog named Tank is in the caption of his danglevideo. “Tank is one of my favorite dogs in the shelter, he’s also one of the longest stays,” Shoppach wrote. “His kennel presence is terrible so he almost immediately gets overlooked. He will absolutely smother anyone he knows with love, kisses, and snuggles. He has such a good heart and fun personality.”

After posting content since the fall, his signature @does.it.dangle account has accumulated 12.2K followers on TikTok and 42.9K followers on Instagram.

“I was not prepared … to see so many people so passionate and positive,” he toldUSA TODAY. “It has definitely been a nice little serotonin boost to see an entire goofy community of people all just smiling and thumbs up and laughing.”

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The IndyHumane employee frequently mentions the fundraising in captions of his posts, like one about a pitbull namedBaxter, and includes direct links to the campaign over the footage.

source: people.com