Dogs are among the most loyal and constant animals, staying close to their owners and offering their unconditional loyalty. This is why pets are often devastated when their owners die.
Such is the tragedy of a 12-year-old puppy named Guizmo. For many years he lived with his family, but gradually fate struck him bitterly. Years ago his owner died and her distraught husband followed her two years later. Their children were later adopted by cousins in another town, far from home, but the poor puppy was left homeless.
The incidents took place on the streets of Molinel and Le Clos des Vignes in the town of Wasquehal in northern France.
After wandering the streets alone and finding himself in his happy place several times, Guizmo found himself in a deplorable situation.
Two years after the death of his owner, his condition has become so painful that residents of the Molinel neighborhood recognize him on the street and call him ,,a skeleton with legs”.
,,Every time I see him I get tears in my eyes. He’s an emaciated, deaf skeleton, and he’s blind.” laments a neighbor.
When they reached the family’s cousin, he could not say why they had not taken him to an animal shelter and left him to fend for himself. He said he came back every morning to give them food and water, and that his priority was the puppies.
She said she tried to chase him away but he always reappeared and returned to his old home.
,,I can’t take care of him anymore. I feel he is happier here than in a shelter where he is locked in a cage all day. Even my cousin’s children come to visit him whenever they can.” she said.
But the family member’s testimony is not shared at all by neighbors who claim she is lying. When they became aware of the situation, they sought help from the police and contacted a local veterinarian who is taking care of the dog.
Gizmo regularly asks people for crumbs on the streets. Or eventually at his old home, as if he is waiting for his master to return.
He is depressed and sad and cannot recover after the death of his master.
Some neighbors take turns bringing him food and cuddles, but they can see the dog’s condition worsening, probably because of the grief that envelops him.
,,He doesn’t even have the strength to bark anymore. If he was in a cage, he would be a human being, he would go for walks several times a day and he would cuddle too.” said one neighbor, who believes that in the end he would be happier in a shared shelter.
When the incident went viral, it didn’t take long for the channels to react angrily. ,,How sad! Why wait for her meeting to help him when we already see him in such a bad state? Two years later I’m trying to get help. Unacceptable!” wrote one user.
,,They remembered the poor animal in the afternoon, lying in his bones, why didn’t anyone bother to feed him? This shows the indifference to the suffering of others that affects this society, they are dead but their souls are dead!” condemned another user.
Now his neighbors hope that the Roubaix Animal Protection Association (LPA), which took over the case, will give poor Gizmo another chance.
Spread this message to raise awareness. We need citizens to feel more empathy for the suffering of innocent animals. It is very sad to realize that there is so much inertia in the world. So let’s not complain about everything that happens to us!