Did you see the story yesterday about the shar-pei dog that was abandoned at a train station in Scotland? Look at this:

sharpei

This headline and photo do me in. Oh man, it hits me right in the heart.

For three reasons.

1. Of course, it is sad that a dog was abandoned.

2. The phrase “his belongings” and the fact that he has a suitcase with a toy, blanket, bowl, and food packed inside….How cute is that? Dogs don’t really have belongings. So it is adorable that he has his own little rolling suitcase.

3. Ok, the most important part. Now, many people are furious that someone could be so heartless as to abandon a dog. And maybe the person who abandoned him IS a heartless a-hole, who knows! But when I saw this story, I instantly created a whole scenario in my brain. Would a non-caring person pack up all the dog’s things and put them in a roller bag? I imagine an elderly person who could no longer care for him, or someone else in very dire straits (financially or health-wise) that loved him but just couldn’t care for him anymore. They didn’t know what else to do but abandon him, but can you imagine how sad they must have been as they packed up his thingsThe packing up of the dog’s belongings kills me. It is a detail, that to me, shows so much care. Dang, I’m tearing up over it all over again.

Look, I could be 100% wrong. Maybe the person who abandoned him is a total jerk. But when I saw this story, the photo along with the suitcase hit me perfectly right in the heart.

As I relayed the story to my husband Jim, he chuckled as he saw how I was tearing up ever so slightly. I could tell it was one of those moments where being highly sensitive and empathetic was rearing its head.

UPDATE: If this update is true, it turns out that I’m wrong. The person who abandoned him isn’t so nice after all.