Suelen Schaumloeffel and her fiancé really got lucky when they adopted a puppy named Lana. This big-hearted creature is a friend to humans and other animals alike and seems to remember the tough time she had on the streets before she found a home.
The sweetest pup
The Brazilian couple fell in love with Lana immediately when they met her at their local animal shelter in July 2017. She was just 8 months old but had spent most of that time living as a stray. Yet, despite that, she was both sweet and sociable.
When Lana got home, she adjusted quickly, soaking up all the love the couple had to give. And she really loved her new fenced-in backyard where she could run freely and safely.
But it seems like Lana had a memory of what it was like to live on a street. From her luxurious vantage point, she still had enough empathy to help out a stray dog that wasn’t as lucky.
It’s common to keep dogs outside at night in Brazil, and Lana had a nice dog house all to herself out back.
To keep things cozy, Suelen decided to buy a nice, thick blanket for the pup for chilly nights.
Sharing the wealth
But right after she installed it in the dog house and went back inside to go to sleep, Lana dragged it right back out. Just not for the reason you might imagine.
Suelen’s fiancé went outside to check on Lana the next morning and noticed the blanket had been moved to the fence, with some of it sticking out onto the sidewalk.
On top of the blanket was a stray dog that Lana had decided to share her good fortune with.
The photo (now removed) they snapped of the good deed is positively heartwarming:
Suelen was amazed by her puppy’s act of kindness.
“I thought, ‘How beautiful what she did for her friend,’” Suelen told The Dodo. “My best four-legged friend reminded me of something so important: generosity!”
A lack of trust
Suelen tried to approach the dog to see if he had an ID tag, but it ran away before she could reach it. It’s not uncommon for street dogs to be wary of humans since they’ve often been neglected and mistreated.
Suelen said she has seen the same dog around her neighborhood a few times, but it always runs away before she can get close.
Following Lana’s lead, Suelen decided to lend a hand to the pup. She began putting out water and food for it.
While the dog happily partakes, it doesn’t like to stick around long enough for after-dinner conversation. But it does seem to like Lana.
And Lana is always happy to see her friend.
“She is the nicest little dog I’ve ever met,” Suelen said. “We forget sometimes the difference we can make in someone’s life. She reminded me of this.”
Viral kindness
When Suelen posted the photo of Lana and the homeless dog on Facebook, it quickly went viral because of their sweet (and sad) story.
The photo was shared tens of thousands of times before it was removed. Everyone seemed amazed by Lana’s act of generosity.
“Seeing her friend without a home and cold, Lana did not hesitate to share the blanket. She took it to the fence and offered a piece to her friend,” Suelen wrote. “Each on one side of the fence, but both warm.
The acts of kindness made Suelen think hard about how humans treat each other in similar situations.
“Can a dog be more supportive and rational than us…Yes!
How many times do we see one of our own passing by in need and ignore them? Pretending you didn’t see doesn’t eliminate the problem, but it gives the false feeling that this problem doesn’t exist.”
Now that’s food for thought.
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