Mum, Dad, my brother Michael: everyone in the family got more affection from our ridgeback-staffie cross. And guess whose bed she used to poo on…
I think the tone was set when Ella threw up over me on the way back from the Dogs Trust. She was three months old, rolling around on the back seat between me and my twin brother, Michael (we’d just turned seven), and wasn’t enjoying her first trip in a car. She could have been sick anywhere – over the seat, over the floor – but for some reason she decided to climb on to me first.
It was the start of a beautiful but strangely one-sided friendship. Ella, a ridgeback-staffie cross, was the perfect dog: playful, energetic, naughty and tolerant. She would let us poke and prod her without complaint, turn her ears inside-out or dress her up in T-shirts or the thick woollen poncho my Greek Cypriot grandma knitted her for the British winter. And she was endlessly loving, at least to the other members of the family. Me? Too often it was as if I didn’t exist. If Michael and I were sitting on the sofa, she’d bound up to him. If I came home after a day out with my dad, he was the one she’d jump at. If I tried to take her for a walk by myself, she’d drag her feet and insist that I fetch my brother.
To add insult to injury, about once a year she would do a poo in the house. Not just anywhere, though: she’d climb the stairs to my room and leave it in a neat pile on top of my bed.
I can’t pretend I wasn’t offended by Ella’s attitude – I loved her just as much as anyone. But it took me a while to realise that in her eyes we were both bitches fighting for our place in the pack. I read that dogs are 98.8% wolf, even yappy little chihuahuas. Ella was a definite she-wolf and my mother (she who opened the tin of dog food every night) was the undisputed alpha female. Ella could handle that fact, but she didn’t want to be the omega female. That was me.
Working out the reasons for Ella’s lack of sisterhood, understanding that her indifference was atavistic and not just casual, didn’t make me any less jealous of my brother, who always took great pleasure in the fact that Ella seemed to prefer him. But I resigned myself to the situation. And then one day (happy ending, anyone?) everything changed. I must have been 16 or 17, we’d been away for a fortnight in France, and when we got back it was me she ran up to first, whining and twisting with pleasure at seeing me again. After that it was like all those years of competition had never happened. We were best friends for ever, or at least for the couple of years she had left. Ella finally loved me.
In a heartbreaking moment, a grieving dog shows unshakable devotion and sadness by refusing to part from his slain sibling.
Heartbreaking stories of animal brutality and neglect are regrettably all too frequent in our world. Recently, a video leaked online that showed a little puppy crying over the death of her siblings who were killed by stray dogs. The video is heart-wrenching and illustrates the truth of the horrible world we live in.
The video shows the little puppy clutching to her dead siblings and sisters and crying. The stray dogs had attacked and killed three puppies, leaving this little one all alone. Luckily, a good individual was able to rescue the puppy before any further damage could come to her.
It’s a heartbreaking story, but it underlines the need of animal welfare and protection. Animals, just like humans, need to be treated with love and respect. Unfortunately, there are still many stray dogs and other animals on the streets that are not being properly taken care of. This can lead to violent assaults and even death for innocent animals.
The video of the little puppy crying over her siblings is a poignant reminder of the terrible reality that many animals confront. It’s up to everyone of us to do our bit in assisting animals in need, whether that means adopting a pet, working at a local animal shelter, or simply promoting awareness about animal welfare concerns.
Let’s not forget the little puppy who survived this horrible catastrophe. She deserves a shot at a happy and healthy life, filled with love and care. And let’s do our best to make sure that instances like these don’t happen again in the future.
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