Thought the vast majority of us think of our pets as family, and so wouldn’t dream of doing them physical or emotional harm, there are those, sadly who are otherwise orientated.
Five years ago, a dog named Kai was dumped at a train station in Scotland with a suitcase full of his favorite toys and personal items. The reason? His owner had tried and failed to sell him on.
The Shar-Pei cross was reportedly left by 39-year-old Fin Rayner from Aberdeenshire at Ayr train station in 2015. Reports claim Rayner arrived at the train station with the aim of purchasing Kai for £400 ($518), having seen him for sale on a website.
Rayner arrived at the station with her daughter, but didn’t believe Kai was the same young dog, previously named Pluto, from pictures in the ad.
“I said I wanted to take the dog for a walk,” Rayner said, as per the Daily Record, “so [the owner] asked me for £150 as a deposit in case I didn’t come back.
“Then I saw him tearing off in his car. I phoned and said, ‘You better come back for your dog.’ He never turned up.”
Rayner decided Kai was too unruly and so left him there. “I didn’t want him,” she explained.
Instead, she informed a member of staff at the train station that Kai wasn’t her dog, before tying the pup to a railing alongside his suitcase of personal items. She then took a train elsewhere.
Fortunately, a concerned passerby told the Scottish SCPA in Glasgow. They were able to retrieve Kai and set him on the road to his new life.
“This appears to have been a sale over the internet which has gone wrong,” SPCA’s Stewart Taylor commented, as per the Daily Mail, “and an example of the potential dangers of buying a pet online without knowing an animal’s background.
“[Kai’s] sad story has touched the hearts of animal lovers all over the world,” Taylor continued, “and we have been overwhelmed with kind messages and offers of new homes.”
One such offer came from hydraulics engineer Ian Russell, whose 15-year-old Dalmatian had passed away weeks before. He saw something in Kai and filled out an adoption questionnaire.
“I never thought in a million years I’d get him,” said Russell, according to the Daily Mail. “I honestly think it was meant to be.”
Just one month after being abandoned at the train station, Kai went home with Russell. Five years on, the pair are inseparable.
Russell told The Telegraph: “I was up Ben Nevis a few weeks ago. [T]here was plenty of snow up there. A girl just walked up and said, ‘Excuse me, is that the dog who got left at the station?’”
“[Kai] loves pampering,” Russell continued, “he knows basically he’s a bit of a celebrity, so when he meets people now he almost expects to get a wee treat or something.”
These days, Russell and Kai can be seen running marathons together as they raise money for the Scottish RSPCA’s great work.
“Raising funds for the Scottish SPCA is what it’s all about,” Russell explained to The Dodo. “I was lucky enough to rehome Kai, and really want to give something back.”
Thank you, Russell! And thank you to all the wonderful people who helped to find Kai a forever home he truly deserves.
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