A Second Chance for Alice
When I first saw her, my heart shattered into a thousand pieces. She lay in a cardboard box on the cold, unforgiving street, her small body twisted in defeat. Tears streamed down her face, and in that moment, I knew I had to help her. I felt her pain, her helplessness; it was like a knife to my soul. She cried quietly, barely able to move. When I carefully opened the box, something incredible happened: she crawled toward me. It was as if she were pleading, “Please, don’t leave me again.” Her eyes, filled with a mixture of fear and hope, begged for a second chance at life. But she was too weak to stand on her own. Every time she tried, she collapsed, her little body failing her over and over again.
I didn’t know what had happened to her. Maybe she had been beaten, or perhaps she was born that way, cruelly abandoned by someone who couldn’t see past her imperfections. Whatever her past, I knew she was hurting, and I had to act fast. I rushed her to a vet in Moscow for the best possible treatment. The doctors’ findings were devastating. Not only was she physically broken, but her brain was also damaged. Born with a fragile skull, someone had kicked her, leaving her in this terrible condition. Blood tests revealed a severe lack of basic nutrients; her mother probably hadn’t eaten well, which affected her milk. An ultrasound showed incredible stones in her little belly—our poor Alice had been so hungry that she had eaten stones just to survive.
Over time, Alice began to stand and walk, albeit unsteadily. She was still wobbly, but her determination filled us with hope. When the vet checked her again, the news was good. Her skull was stronger, there was no permanent brain damage, and Alice had blossomed into a beautiful, intelligent, loving dog. She gained 800 grams, her coat became thicker and shinier, and her tail wagged joyfully every time she saw us.
Finally, the vet gave us the all-clear, and Alice was ready to go home. As I carried her away, she curled up in my arms like a baby, content and safe. She had come a long way from that helpless puppy in the box, and now Alice was looking for her forever home—a place where she would be loved and cherished as she deserved. Alice’s journey had been difficult, filled with pain and uncertainty, but she never gave up, and neither did we. That’s what every puppy deserves: a second chance at love and life.