It was a cold and gray morning at Mas Torrencito. Manuela, our faithful Golden, was restless; she kept looking into the forest as if she heard a whisper that only she could perceive. At first, we thought maybe he just wanted to explore, but soon his urgency became impossible to ignore. With that look that seemed to ask for help, he decided to go on his own, moving with cautious steps between the trees and disappearing into the thicket.
A few minutes later, she came running back to the house, panting and staring at us, almost begging us to follow her. We had never seen her so upset. Without further ado, we grabbed some flashlights and jackets and followed her as she led us through the forest, getting deeper and darker. The wind was blowing hard, but the silence of the forest was so heavy that we could feel our hearts beating in our chests. Manuela was moving forward, with her tail down and her ears down, as if she knew something terrible awaited us.
Manuela, The Golden-Hearted Heroine:
Finally, after several minutes that felt like forever, we came to a clearing in the woods. There, in the middle of nowhere, was a small basket, barely visible under some dry leaves that someone had thrown on top to hide it.
Inside the basket, barely moving, we saw two puppies. They were so small that their eyes hadn’t fully opened yet, and their little bodies were shaking from the cold. They were alone, abandoned, and their faint moans broke the silence, resounding with a sadness that was hard to bear.
Manuela approached her with a tenderness we had never seen before. He sniffed them gently, almost afraid of harming them, and then looked at us, as if imploring us to do something, anything, to save them. The puppies were so weak they could barely lift their little heads. One tried to bark, but only a faint murmur came from its muzzle. They had been there for who knows how many days, without food, without heat, without a friendly hand to protect them.
Without thinking twice, we took them very carefully and wrapped them in a blanket. As we carried them back to Mas Torrencito, Manuela walked with us, looking at them every few steps, like a mother who fears losing her children.
He never took off from us, watchful, alert, almost as if he knew every second counted for those little ones who were barely hanging on by a thread.
An Act of Compassion at Mas Torrencito
When we got home, we put them next to the fireplace so they could feel the heat. We gave them some warm milk, drop by drop, with a syringe, and Manuela did not part with it, licking their heads with a sweetness that seemed to want to erase all the suffering these little ones had endured. For days, we take care of them as if they were made of glass, while Manuela watched over their dreams, attentive to their every movement, every breath, as if she understood that their lives depended on her constant presence.
However, one of the cubs, the smallest and weakest, did not manage to survive. That night, Manuela lay down next to him, gave him one last kiss, and then collapsed on his side, as if she understood the goodbye. There were no words to describe the pain we felt to see him go, but we knew that, at least in his last moments, he had felt the warmth of a family, even if it was only for a short time.
The other cub, however, survived. In time, her eyes opened and her bosom began to gain strength. Manuela became his protector and guide, as if she were his real mother. We take him to Mas Torrencito, where he found not only a home, but a family and a story of love and rescue, thanks to the nobility and courage of Manuela.
And so, life went on, with the echo of those dark days always reminding us of the goodness of animals, and how, sometimes, they are the true heroes who teach us the value of compassion.
The legacy of humanity?
The story of those abandoned puppies left us with a deep wound, not only because of the suffering these little beings experienced, but because of the cold and merciless decision of those who left them to their fate in the forest, without the slightest chance of survival .
It’s hard to understand how anyone can look into those innocent eyes and decide that they don’t even deserve a chance, that their lives aren’t worth enough to find them a home, a shelter, a kind hand.
Seeing these puppies in this state, one cannot help but think of the contradiction that represents the human being, a supposedly rational being, endowed with intelligence and empathy. And yet, capable of such cruel and callous acts. It is said that a society can be judged by the way it treats the most helpless and vulnerable beings. What does it say about us that there are people capable of abandoning such fragile, unprotected and dependent lives?
Perhaps the saddest thing is that, by treating these puppies as if they were disposable, they not only robbed them of their right to a dignified life, but, at bottom, betrayed the most essential of what humanity should be: the ability to care, to protect, to give unconditional love. This lack of compassion, of respect for life, is something that remains in the soul of those who exercise it. And many times, fate ends up being unforgiving. Because he who abandons like that, who shows so little mercy and consideration, runs the risk of finding the same indifference in his own life.
Total indifference
It is ironic, but not uncommon, that those who feel no objection to abandoning a helpless being in their youth or adulthood, see this abandonment reflected in their old age.
When life takes its toll on them and they find themselves in the position of vulnerability they once despised, perhaps then they will understand what it feels like to be forgotten, ignored, rejected as worthless.
This story leaves us a hard lesson: animals, in their nobility, are able to love no matter who treats them well or badly; but the human being, in his selfishness, often forgets that love and respect are a mirror, that what is given is what comes back.
That caring for and respecting living beings is not only an act of kindness, but an investment in humanity itself, in a future where respect and compassion are the basis of everything.
And while we still have the chance, let’s remember what Manuela taught us: taking care of the weakest is an act of greatness, a privilege that ennobles the soul.
Have a HAPPY TUESDAY!!!
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