Every day, pets are abandoned right outside the doors of animal shelters. In most cases, this happens because their former owners shy away from the costs incurred for handing over the animals, but still want to get rid of their faithful companions quickly.
But a very touching example from Spain now shows that one should perhaps not always judge hastily in such a case.
On February 13, 2020, employees of the Spanish animal shelter “Xollin” discover an abandoned cardboard box in front of the entrance. Carefully, they open the box to see what is hidden inside. Inside the box is a small, gray pit bull puppy – along with a stuffed animal and a letter. As the staff read the heartbreaking letter, they quickly realize that the little puppy’s former owner didn’t abandon the animal on the shelter’s doorstep because he wanted to save money, but to save its life. Because 12-year-old Andres was very afraid that his violent father would have seriously injured the little dog if it had stayed with him any longer, as he himself writes in the letter to the shelter.
In his letter, Andres writes:
“My name is Andres and I am 12 years old. My mother and I have decided to leave him with you. My father doesn’t know anything about it because he wants to sell him. But he always hits and kicks the dog. Once he kicked him so hard that he hurt his tail. I hope you guys can help him and take good care of him. I packed him his favorite stuffed animal so he will never forget me.”
The animal shelter reacts with great understanding to the act of the 12-year-old and clarifies in a Facebook post that the boy acted out of desperation to be able to give his best friend a life without violence. The stuffed animal that Andres gave his four-legged friend as a farewell gift also continues to accompany the young dog so that he will definitely never forget the person who loves him from the bottom of his heart. The dog is now named Rene and is ready to be adopted by a loving family.