It’s going viral that Hungary not only takes care of its homeless, but also its stray dogs. Solar-powered shelters in Budapest. Insulated tunnels keeping strays warm through freezing winters with no electricity. Volunteers placing them in parks.
No. It’s not real. No credible Hungarian news source has reported on it. The story traces back to a Facebook entertainment page known for fictional content, and it spread through unverified blogs and social media aggregators. People on Reddit flagged inconsistencies almost immediately, including the fact that Hungary barely gets enough winter sunlight to make the solar claim work.
It’s made up.
But millions of people shared it anyway. And that part is worth sitting with.
Because the reason it went viral isn’t that people are gullible. It’s that people desperately want to live in a world where a country builds infrastructure to keep stray dogs warm. They want that to be real. They want to believe someone in power looked at a freezing animal and said, “We should fix that.”
The story worked because it touched something honest in people, a desire for kindness to be systematic, not accidental. For compassion to be engineered into how a society functions, not left to chance.
That instinct isn’t naive. It’s one of the best things about us.
The story is fake, but what it revealed about the people who shared it is completely real.
More Data
No credible Hungarian news sources have reported on the introduction of solar-heated tunnel shelters for stray dogs in cities like Budapest. The claim appears to stem from a viral post on the Facebook page “DM Pranks,” which is an entertainment-focused account known for sharing prank videos, horror skits, and fictional content.
Hepatitis C and Me, Sharing My Story And Creating Hope For The Future
Sharing my story, which was once one of pain and suffering, has now brought me hope and freedom.
Walking into a positive Hepatitis C diagnosis 4 years into my sobriety was earth shattering, with time, patience, community and self-love I was able to climb my way out of this stigmatized illness. My name is Kasey and I am a person in recovery. I have a sober date of February 15th, 2018. At the end of my addiction, I was a recovering IV heroin and meth user. Somewhere along the way, I contracted Hepatitis C. When I entered recovery, the treatment center took me to get my blood drawn and the phlebotomist were unable to get a draw because of the damage I had done from using IV for years. I call this a “missed opportunity” and more were to come.
As I entered 4 years of recovery, I started having digestive issues. I had a new primary care doctor. She was so thorough and detailed and immediately had me tested for Hepatitis C based on my background and information I had given her. I got my answer through a positive Hepatitis C test. The walls around me seemed to crumble, I could not breathe and I could not think. Within those 4 years of sobriety, I had gotten married and had two children, what if I had infected them? Never had I been tested for Hepatitis C even with my gynecologist knowing about my history. Again, these were missed opportunities for me to find out about my Hepatitis C. I did not know to how advocate for myself and I was still learning to find my voice those first 4 years. After my diagnosis, I went to endless doctor appointments to figure out an appropriate medication regimen. I ended up taking one medication once a day for 12 weeks. This medicine saved my life. In September of 2022 I was announced as “cured.” I continue to have yearly blood work and monitoring on my liver.
When I was diagnosed, I had to assess how I was going to tell people. First, it was my partner, getting him tested and our two infant children. Trying to explain to my children’s pediatrician that I needed to have them tested for Hepatitis C because of possible exposure was a very low point in my life. This had a huge impact on my mental health and felt like it was destroying me. One day, someone reminded me what I had been taught for 4 years in recovery, “tell your story, secrets keep us sick.” I did just that. I got on my social media and announced my diagnosis of Hep C, where I was mentally and emotionally while continuing to document every milestone in my treatment. It was not until I started getting questions and people reaching out saying, “I’m in the same situation” did I start to find my purpose and self-worth again. Overcoming fear, shame, and guilt by sharing my story helped me cultivate a purpose and identity.
My relationships are stronger than ever, I believe, because of what I had to overcome throughout my Hepatitis C journey. I am grateful for the undeniable love, support, and comfort I received from loved ones. I found a career working with folks who are getting sober from drugs and alcohol. I went back to school and finished my bachelor’s degree. I was recently accepted into my master’s program and will start that adventure in June 2026.
Over the past year and a half, I have flown all over the country working and speaking with doctors and other people in the medical field. I enjoy working with the medical community and helping them learn how to better serve people who are diagnosed with Hepatitis C. I have told my diagnosis story and shared the multiple missed opportunities to get tested earlier along the way. I have captured the resilience and mental strength it takes to overcome this disease. I will continue to share my story and remind society that my past does not define me. I no longer sit with the labels that come with being an addict. Instead, I embrace my challenges and make them teachable and shareable moments. Today, I decide which labels serve me and I will walk away from those that do not.
Emphasizing the importance of getting tested can change the trajectory of health for many people. Learning to ask questions and advocate for oneself, which took me years, can help minimize the unknown. Continuing to monitor my liver and my health in general is how I show up for my body and myself. Sharing my story, which was once one of pain and suffering, has now brought me hope and freedom. One of my goals is to make sure that people never feel alone with a Hepatitis C diagnosis.
With community, we never have to be alone again.