Nelson was 13 years old when he was disposed of. He was in no physical condition to still oblige to his watchdog duties, so people were quick to pass judgement on him. So he was tied to the banisters outside a pound before he was abandoned. This happened in the middle of the night.
Nelson is no singular case, hundreds of dogs and cats experience the same fate every day. A lifetime friendship between people and pets often gets disrupted when family environments change. People get married, break up, move to different place, have children or just have less time – all of which often leads to their four-legged friends losing their home.
Animal shelters are brimming with creatures that have never done anything other than giving their owners all of their love and devotion. These animals all have their own back stories. These may be certain characteristics and personality, physical deficiencies or simply a history of bad luck – and now the life of most of them has ended in a place of no return. Trust is something that needs time, and if you show heart and decide for a pet – like I did with my 12-year old dog Leila when I picked her up in a pound in 2006 – you can experience a friendship that is very rare between people.
It was the same with Nelson when he was adopted by my family, aged 13. He may have only had another 6 months with us, but these 6 months really meant a lot to everyone in our family. We experienced a loving, caring and devoted friend at our home. In the end this is what counts a lot.
(For you Nelson. I kept my promise to give you a voice.)
Petra
