Unfortunately, when people drop their animals off at the animal shelter, they don’t always have the courage or sense of responsibility to do so in person.
Instead, they sometimes leave the animals outside in cages or cardboard boxes or simply tie them up and leave.
Unfortunately, the staff at the Fayetteville Animal Protection Society shelter in North Carolina, USA, know this all too well.
So when another box turns up on their doorstep, they fear the worst. But they never expected what they read.
Please not again
„Oh no, please don’t let this be another case of irresponsible pet ownership“,
is what goes through the minds of the animal shelter staff when they discover the box covered with a blanket in the morning.
With a lump in their throats, they approach the box with a note attached to it. They suspect it’s another litter of puppies.
And so it is – when the animal rights activists lift the blanket, they see a bunch of little puppies scurrying around in the box.
The cute puppies are probably no more than eight weeks old and look at the humans expectantly with big eyes.
As always, this sight breaks the animal welfare workers‘ hearts and, as always, they don’t want to believe that someone simply wants to get rid of these helpless babies.
But there is a surprise waiting on the note.
A moment of pure awe
Thinking it was the usual cold words from a heartless dog owner, the shelter workers take the note off the box and read what is written there.
„Please help!“,
the letter begins, followed by lines that testify to the utmost humanity:
„I unfortunately found these puppies after I discovered a stray female dog, which I often fed when I could, dead on the side of the road. She had been run over by a car. I knew from feeding her that she had puppies and after searching the places where she usually was, I found her. I’m sorry I left her like that, but I’m homeless myself and can’t afford to care for her…“
The animal rights activists have to fight back tears. A person who has nothing himself has taken care of a family of dogs and made sure the puppies are well looked after after their mum died.
„My heart breaks for them and their mum. I just want them to have the chance that their mum, like me, never got. Please don’t think badly of me, but it felt wrong to leave them alone in the cold, waiting for a mum who wouldn’t come home. Yours sincerely, nameless man“,
so ends the Good Samaritan’s letter.
Jackie Peery, the shelter’s director, finds words for the feeling everyone has for this man:
„It was a moment of pure awe. […] Our very own nameless hero.“
A bright future
The animal welfare workers take in the puppies and do everything they can to make sure they are well.
At first, the puppies are weak and sickly, but thanks to loving care, they recover quickly and thrive.
Not only are they physically fit, but they gain the cheerfulness that every puppy should have and spend their time cuddling and playing.
Jackie is confident that the pups will soon all be placed with loving, responsible families.
She has another wish, however, and that is that the nameless hero will also get a good life:
„We’re keeping our fingers crossed that he moves forward. There is a whole community here that is ready to support him, just as I have supported these puppies. It would be wonderful to thank him personally and maybe even help him in return.“
Source: The Dodo
