This is a story about a dog “Kaale” a stray dog ​​from Kathmandu, Nepal. He was a large but naturally tame dog and lived near my office. He wasn’t always a stray dog, he once belonged to a home but his owners had abandoned him maybe because he was “Just a Dog”. He was sick and very weak when I first met him but no one really cared for him except a few people and why should they, he was “just a dog”. I started giving him some bread and cookies every day from the day I met him and he soon became very friendly with me. He got a little stronger day by day and was always so happy to see me every time. Days passed and I began to form a bond with him. There were plenty of strays that he would feed at least once a day, but he was something special to me.

One day I didn’t see him in his usual place, I got a little worried and asked around. I found out that he was bitten by two other dogs over the weekend and he was in bad shape again. But nobody really cared because he was just a dog. I saw in the night of the same day that it was very dark but he looked good (I didn’t see any big wound on his body, just a small scratch under his ear) and he did the same dance and game routine that he did every time that he saw me So I fed him and continued my work hoping that all would be well.

I was out of town for a few weeks and when I got back what I saw made me cry. The small wound on her ear had become severely infected and also smelled very bad like something rotten. I called the local KAT Dog Rescue Center (there are only two animal shelters here in Kathmandu) and they promised they would help. I took care of him the best I could with my job, but no one else seemed to care, maybe because he was “just a dog.” He tried to come sleep under the stairs in my office but other people in the building kept hitting him and making him get out of there because of the bad smell of his wound and why wouldn’t they, he was “just a dog” “. “. The rescue came a few days later and took him away. I was so happy because I felt that I had helped him and saved his life. People near my office said things like: “You did a good thing, the smell of his wound really polluted the neighborhood!”, They could have helped him earlier, but they didn’t because “Kaale” was “Just a dog”. I went to look for him at the shelter a few days ago, but I didn’t see him there. Then Kyrie (KAT Center Volunteer) told me that his wound had a worm infection and they had to put him down. I started crying, I couldn’t control my emotions, for me it was one of the saddest things I ever heard. When I came back, nobody really asked about him, nobody remembered him, maybe because he was “just a dog”.

But he wasn’t “Just a Dog” to me, he was my friend, he was my sympathizer, he was better than most people I know and knew. Maybe they didn’t know him as well as I did, so he was “just a dog” to them. I will never forget. It’s been 6 months since he passed but I still remember and love him, there are people like me who care and dogs like Kaale are not “just a dog” to us.

In memory of “Kaale”, Run Free Dear Friend, Never again be reborn as a stray dog.