How could you not love this face?
This one-month-old puppy needs a home, and his sweet mug mirrors a troubling trend in which dogs are bred for high-priced sales and then ripped from their mothers much too soon, according to a rescue group.
Read: Vet Eats Breakfast With Rescued Pit Bull Every Morning To Help Her Overcome Her Fears
Little Bear, as Social Tees Animal Rescue calls him, was purchased on Craigslist for at least $600 by a new father who wanted the puppy to become a companion to his six-month old son, the group reported.
"He didn't realize what he was getting himself into," Social Tees representative Samantha Brody told InsideEdition.com. "He may not have understood that Little Bear was far too young to leave his mother at the time, could barely see or walk, and would require round the clock care."
But the dad discovered the pup had to be bottle-fed because he was pulled too early from his mother. That was much too work, he reportedly told New York-based Social Tees, and said he would leave the puppy on the street if the rescue organization didn't want him.
Of course the group took him in, and was more than happy to give Little Bear regular bottle feedings and TLC as rescue workers try to find him a new home.
Brody said they were told Little Bear is an American Bulldog, but speculates he could also be a pit bull as breeders tend to give false information about their breed.
"Little Bear is doing well so far and his future is looking bright," the organization wrote on their Instagram.
But Brody said just caring for the pup was not enough.
She said the rescue group is now determined to rescue the pup's mom and siblings, on suspicion the breeder may be treating them poorly, or selling them before they are ready to be separated.
Read: Rescue Pitbull Dying of Cancer Lives Life to the Fullest With New Owners
They have since begun working with an ASPCA liaison from the NYPD, and hope to change the way pets are sold.
"As of right now, there aren't really any laws that prohibit this kind of breeding and selling," Brody told InsideEdition.com. "[We] are trying to see what can be done about this."
Watch: Rescued Calf and Puppy Are Inseparable: 'They Loved Each Other From Day One'
