The cardboard box was small and damp, barely offering any protection from the chill of the morning air. Inside, curled into a tight ball, was Sura. He shivered, not just from the cold, but from a deeper, more profound chill that had settled in his heart. Today was his birthday, a day that should have been filled with warmth and love. Instead, it was the day he was abandoned.
He didn’t understand the human concept of birthdays, of course. He didn’t know about cakes or presents or cheerful songs. But he knew something was wrong. He remembered the warmth of his mother’s fur, the playful nips of his siblings, the familiar scents of his home. Now, there was only the cold, the silence, and the confusing array of unfamiliar smells and sounds of the street.
He’d been born different. His front left paw was twisted, a small deformity that made it difficult for him to walk. He’d always been a little slower, a little clumsier than his siblings. But his mother had always loved him, nuzzling him close, licking his face, telling him, in her own doggy way, that he was perfect just the way he was.
Then, the humans had come. They’d looked at him, their faces etched with disappointment. He’d heard their hushed whispers, words like “deformed,” “useless,” and “burden.” He didn’t understand what he had done wrong. He had only ever wanted to love and be loved in return.
And then, he was in the box, left alone on the side of the road, the familiar scents of his home fading into the distance. The sound of their car driving away was the last sound he heard from his family.
Today, on his birthday, he was alone, cold, and confused. He didn’t understand why he had been abandoned. He didn’t understand why his disability had made him unworthy of love. He only knew the deep ache of loneliness, the gnawing feeling of rejection.
He huddled deeper into the box, his small body trembling. He didn’t dare to dream of a birthday celebration, of warm hugs or tasty treats. He knew he was just a disabled puppy, abandoned and alone. He closed his eyes, and in his dreams, he was back with his mother, surrounded by warmth and love, a place where his twisted paw didn’t matter, a place where he was simply loved for who he was. It was a bittersweet dream, a stark contrast to the cold reality of his abandonment on his birthday. It was a heartbreaking reminder of the cruelty of rejection, especially on a day that should have been filled with joy.
