Harlequin hound. A good shepherd and reliable friend is a devoted but obstinate Beauceron. General health problems

The little kitten, shivering from the cold wind into a fluffy ball, gently jumped over the frozen puddles, making his way to the warm basement where his house had been for the last few days.

Wool strayed into thin needles of half-frozen tangled icicles, paws froze from endless icy pimples of water on the pavement and were swathed in a lace of non-melting frosty snowflakes. Big amber eyes cautiously glanced around - if someone you know will come across? Then it will be possible to stick to him, gently pleadingly meow and piteously look into his eyes, causing compassion. But there was no one here. Lonely rustling with myriads of snowflakes, a blizzard rustled, bringing the snow with its small snow army towards the kitten, stubbornly jumping on the ice.

Today the kitten was left without food. In that place where even on a frosty day the smell of fish habitually caressed the smell, there were many people. People shuffled with worn-out boots, flashed before him the peeled leather of boots painted over with cheap cream and made a noise. Usually there were not so many people here, and the sun still rolled its dull winter eye into the middle of a faded, cloudy sky. Therefore, dodging the flickering legs for a long time, the kitten decided to return home. The house was much warmer. Small and large boxes, piled in a heap in one of the basements, became a kind of apartment for him. Having stolen a bunch in a couple of evenings, the kitten settled in his cardboard house.

The kitten did not know how long he had been living in this place. His mother, a big fluffy cat, kindly squinted her amber eyes at all four kittens, small blind lumps covered with soft fur. Then his mistress cried for a long time, smearing salty tears on her cheeks, and someone shouted to her that it would be better this way. Back then, a rustling carpet of bright orange and yellow leaves covered the ground. The sun stung his eyes, reflecting bright rays from small amber lights. And at night it suddenly got cold. The native smell dissolved in the unfamiliar air of a foreign area, and misunderstanding came. So he lived, wandering the streets during the day and climbing into open porches at night. Gradually, dry air and bright carved leaves gave way to rain and sleet, and now, because of the cold sharp needles of snow, it became very difficult.

District cats huddled together and hid among garbage cans, ran from hungry dogs and staged a showdown over the territory. The kitten wanted to stick to one of these piles, but the skinny, mangy cat, which followed the leader, angrily sparkled with yellow eyes and a spot of lichen on its back, and bristled its claws. The leader looked indifferently at the kitten, as if to say: “Sorry, I would be glad to…” and returned to the ringworm companion. The kitten watched the cats for a long time and finally returned to the basement. He no longer made attempts to settle down in the feline community. Two or three times he was lucky, they took him in his arms, warmed him and fed him, and then let him out again on a cold, ringing frost day.

Suddenly, a sharp gust of wind threw a handful of snow into its muzzle and the kitten could not stand on its paws, turning over in the snow and poking painfully into fragments of broken ice. Sleepy indifference came over the kitten, dragging him into his last sleep, threatening to freeze him, turn him into an ice toy of bad weather.

Warm human hands, bumping into the fur frozen with sharp ice floes, raised a cold lump, which an unexpected wind threw under their feet. Putting his hand freed from the glove to the frail little body, the man was convinced of the vitality of the cat family and shifted it in his bosom to a warm sweater.

The kitten stretched, feeling the warmth of the embossed battery with his whole body. The snow thawed from the fur, forming small puddles on the floor, and the battery even dried the wet golden fur.

The man patted him on the fur, declaring with a grin:

And you really have nine lives, kitty. The kitten meowed as it dropped softly into the man's lap.

Warm palms clasped the kitten's body and stroked the muzzle.

What is your name? - light eyes smiled affectionately from under the thick bangs.

The kitten blinked funny and purred.

Yeah. So I had the honor of coming up with a name for you? - the man raised the kitten and looked into the brilliant amber eyes.

What should I call you? - the man thought and tousled his blond hair. - Do you agree to be a Lunatic? Wandering around at night, all golden like that, huh?

The kitten meowed happily, agreeing with the decision of the new owner.

Come on, I'll feed you, Lunatic. Do you want to eat?

Lunatic reluctantly jumped to the floor and stared at the man expectantly.

The man laughed as he watched the kitten.

Well thank you Lunatic! Made me laugh, - the man muttered, rummaging through the refrigerator. - I rarely laugh, you can believe it. Excuse me, I don’t drink milk, is kefir suitable for you? The man poured a thick milky liquid into a saucer and crumbled bread into it.

The well-fed and warmed kitten looked warily at the man. Usually, after eating, he was immediately kicked out, but this time the owner only stroked Lunatic's golden fur.

If you're nobody, you can live with me.

So the kitten stayed with the person. Every morning the man got up, poured a bowl of milk to Lunatic, had breakfast and left. When the lilac dusk of an early winter evening thickened outside the window, the front door clicked the lock and let the owner in. The kitten, joyfully meowing, jumped into the gentle hands of a person, and for him there was no greater happiness than to hear: “I already miss you, Lunatic!”

The frosty needles of winter were melting, silvery icicles were drowning, birds were chirping more and more often outside the window, but not winter red-breasted bullfinches and cheerful titmouse, but nimble little sparrows; the snow had completely melted away, revealing the black thawed patches of earth that had soaked under the snow cover over the long winter. Several times a man took him with him to the spring-breathing street. The kitten happily inhaled new, unfamiliar smells, saturated with spring aromas of sticky leaves blooming from elastic buds. On one of these spring days, the man returned in a bad mood. Lunatic fussed around, jumped to his knees and purred. This calmed the man, and now he smiled, habitually tousling his hair.

Thanks Lunatic. What would I do without you? Let's go out. It's wonderful there today. And let her go to hell! She is his girlfriend, the kitten guessed. From time to time he saw her - tall, dark-haired, with a reproachful look. She snorted at Moony and said she was allergic to cat hair, but the man shrugged and stroked Moony's soft fur.

The caressing sun was welcomingly golden in the sky, shimmering in Lunatic's fur. The kitten ran ahead, constantly looking back to see if a person was following him. The man walked with his backpack thrown behind his back, his hands in the pockets of his favorite jeans.

The crossroads blinked with a three-eyed half-blind traffic light, urging you to wait. Another little golden sun. Ahead, across the road, was a park with soft, silky grass and lively gray and green grasshoppers.

Soft paws stepped over the white transition strip, and sharp amber eyes scanned the road that was frozen in motion: you can go.

The man, throwing his backpack over his other shoulder, stepped onto the road, when a silver car took off from the intersection with a sudden squeal of tires. The man did not pay attention, immersed in his own thoughts, took another step towards the silver car. The kitten looked at the thoughtful owner in surprise and, with a heart-rending meow, rushed at the man. The man, waking up from his thoughts, recoiled, and the silver car almost audibly threw Lunatic's golden body over the bumper, which, turning over in the air, fell into the warm palms of the man.

The owner's knees gave way, and he sat down right on the sidewalk, clutching his kitten to his chest.

Lunatic closed his eyes, clouded with pain, amber eyes. The body was shackled by an unexpected cold, as on that winter evening when a man found it. “And I already miss you, Lunatic!” the voice of a man whispered in the kitten's mind for the last time, and the colors of the grass in the park smiled affably, eyes.

Cat and dog:

tragic Ufa story with a happy ending

On April 6, a touching post appeared in the Pikabu community about an inseparable puppy and kitten with a sad fate - they ended up on the street, on the market in Dyoma. The usual story for Ufa, we have a lot of homeless animals, but the friendship of seemingly sworn enemies made people act:

“People simply took such wonderful lovebirds a cat and a dog and threw them into the market. What's wrong with this sweet couple? And why they were thrown out to starve to death ... is still a mystery ... The couple is just wonderful ... how they support each other ... how they love and are afraid to lose ... it’s beyond words ... people would do well to learn such loyalty from these four-legged friends ...

Guys, take a closer look at them, a dog-girl (month 7), very small in stature and a kitty - a girl 6-7 months old.

Now the couple is completely safe in overexposure, but THEY ARE VERY WAIT FOR THEIR person who will no longer deceive them and betray them!

The post got a huge number of likes, reposts and even appeared in the top of the discussions.

And just three days later, the long-awaited miracle happened:

“Let me remind you that a couple of lovebirds (a cat and a dog) were thrown out at the Vietnamese market in DEME, they wandered there for 2 weeks, someone fed and stroked, and someone passed by, someone even kicked with his foot, shouting after ... "fu what a disgusting thing "..." don't touch them, they are flea and contagious "... yes, yes, yes, comrades... there were such (

But one fine day, a certain girl took pity on them and posted a post with photos tearing to tears ... "TAKE US PLEASE" ...

Then, to great happiness, a good friend called me, delighting me that there is a certain young girl who really wants to help the lovebirds, but is very afraid that she will not be able to attach a couple herself ... I don’t remember at what speed of light we flew to this Vietnamese market ... only in my head one thing was ... "if only they were there and everything was all right with them."

Thank God they were there, but now the most important thing!

Our lovebird couple has found their new owners. Thank you all very much for the reposts (we simply did not expect such a number of reposts), they wanted to take the animals from various cities of Russia, but they preferred to stay in Ufa with new caring owners. We were supported by a lot of people with a kind word, financial assistance, they were sick and worried about us with all their hearts ... for which many thanks to you!

I want to add, do not be afraid to help our smaller brothers, there is no one to take care of them except us!”

Incredible Facts

Life has repeatedly proven that animals experience almost the same emotions as people. Some even believe that our smaller brothers are capable of love, friendship and fidelity no less than people, and even more than them.

Animals suffer when they are alone; they grieve deeply about the loss of loved ones; and mothers are ready to give their lives without delay for their children (even if it is the mother of a tyrannosaurus rex!).

However, animals will always remain animals: no matter how human will their emotions, animals will never get the same status in this world that people have. That is what nature has decreed...

We bring to your attention ten real stories about animals that are not only touching, but can become quite instructive even for people. Perhaps they will help you look at the world around us in a completely different way.

Friendship between animals and people

Maddison and Lily: a story about female friendship

This is not just a touching story about the friendship of two dogs - it is an instructive a story of selfless devotion and support which became the basis of survival. Moreover, the ending of this story is far from a happy ending. In a word, everything is like in life ...

The main characters of the story are two female Great Danes named Maddison and Lily. At the age of one and a half years, Lily lost her sight. The reason is the injury, due to which the eyelashes have grown into the dog's eyeballs, causing constant suffering to the animal.

Perhaps she should have been taken to the vet earlier. However, when they finally did it, it was too late: Had to have Lily's damaged eyes removed. Fortunately for Lily, she came under the care of a dog named Maddison, who became a real guide for her friend.

However, the owners decided to give the animals to a shelter located in the city of Shrewsbury (Shropshire, UK). There, the dogs lived soul to soul, causing affection of the workers of the shelter. The animals literally did not part for a minute, becoming an example of a touching friendship.

However, some time later, a family from the city of Nantwich, Cheshire, decided to take the Great Danes. It is not known why, but the move was stressful for Lily, who became embittered and began to break down on Maddison, attack her. The couple decided to separate...

Jack: firefighter dog and psychologist

And this story is about how human kindness not only saved the life of an animal, but, thanks to a combination of circumstances, indirectly led (and continues to lead) to saving the lives of many people. But more about everything.

Several years ago, a barn burned down in Hanahan, Berkeley County, Southern California. Firefighters were able to get out of the fire. puppy named Jack, who received second and third degree burns - more than 75 percent of his body was burned!

Jack's owners took the dog to a veterinary clinic, from where, apparently, they were not going to take him. Fortunately, Jack's recovery was not long in coming. And then the dog found a new owner - he was taken in by a firefighter named Lindler, who, in fact, pulled Jack out of the fire.

The dog quickly recovered, and soon became involved in the work of the fire brigade. After a while she became the most real firefighters mascot. Moreover, Jack began to be used for an information campaign, in which the animal was taken to schools, talking about preventive measures to combat fires.

More to come: Jack was taken to the firefighter's oath (apparently he barked it), and then handed him an official dog tag as a full member of the state fire brigade. Now Jack has become part of a program for the rehabilitation of children who survived the fires.

Children come into contact with a dog whose body has terrible scars from a long-standing fire. Jack - very kind and funny dog attracting the love of others. Thus, the kids are shown that, despite the burns that disfigure the body, inner beauty remains inviolable ...

Bob the Cat and street musician James Bowen

This story of friendship between a cat and a London street musician is worthy of a writer's pen. Actually, it was embodied on paper by the musician himself, who retrained as a writer, for which he earned himself considerable fame.

Bowen, born in 1979 in the UK, spent his childhood in Australia. In 1997, he returned to his homeland, to his half-sister. However, he soon became homeless. And in general, his life cannot be called happy: in childhood he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and, having lost his home, the man became a heroin addict.

All his life, from early childhood until the spring of 2007, James was a real outcast. Until I met homeless red cat. The animal's paw was seriously injured, and Bowen did everything to cure the cat (whom he named "Bob").

Then the musician began to take Bob to his street performances, having gained some popularity among the London public precisely because of such a tandem - a man and a cat. After some time, James retrained as a street newspaper seller.

However, people continued to come to him only to to see this couple. Videos with James and Bob began to appear on YouTube. Around that time, Bowen firmly decided to give up drugs. In fact, it happened thanks to Bob.

To say that James's life has changed dramatically is an understatement. Since then, he has published six books (co-authored with writer Harry Jenkins), each of which contains stories about the life of the author himself and the cat Bob.

The books became bestsellers, and one of them, "Street Cat Named Bob", was nominated for the prestigious British National Book Award. Based on this book, a film of the same name was released in 2016, which received the British National Film Award as "Best British Film".

A touching story of animal friendship

Baloo the bear, Leo the lion and Shere Khan the tiger

It is believed that for a tiger, a lion and a bear, coexistence (that is, in the same enclosure or cage) is something from the realm of fantasy. However this trinity completely destroyed the stereotypes. Looking at them, one gets the feeling that the animals seem to have descended from the pages of the famous "Jungle Book" by Ruryard Kipling.

In fact, there are no analogues of this peacefully coexisting trio in the whole world. But how did they get along? It can be said that the animals were brought together by a difficult childhood fate: they were found as cubs in the basement of some drug dealer in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

It was obvious that no one cared about the animals - they were on the verge of starvation. They were all taken together to the State Animal Shelter, located in the town of Locust Grove, where the kids had to recover from their many injuries and illnesses for a long time.

Without further ado, the shelter workers named the Tiger Cub Sher Khan, the bear cub Baloo, and the lion cub Leo. From that moment on, the animals were separated only once - Baloo underwent an operation to remove a tourniquet that had grown into the body from the neck.

The trinity spends all their free time together, as if they are representatives of the same species. They are practically inseparable: animals walk together, sleep, caress, eat. Initially, the shelter workers thought to resettle them in different enclosures. However, realizing that these three were related by a common misfortune in early childhood, the animals were left to live together.

The non-profit Noah's Ark Center (namely, this is the name of this shelter in the state of Georgia) has become a new home for one and a half thousand different animals. However, the uniqueness of Baloo, Leo and Shere Khan is undeniable. As well as their kindness, the workers of the Center enter their enclosure without fear, calling the animals a real family.

Nurse Cat Rademenes

This story looks mystical (especially considering the fact that its main participant is a black cat). In 2014, a two-month-old cat was brought to the Animal Medical Center in Bydgoszcz, Poland. They brought him to put him to sleep, as he was seriously ill - severe airway inflammation.

The cat was getting worse and worse every day, but the workers of the shelter did not raise their hand to lull this little fluffy ball of fading life. They gave Rademenes a chance and left the cat, for which they were later rewarded. But not financially.

The cat, having returned to life, suddenly began to demonstrate behavior that is more characteristic of people, and not animals - Rademenes began to take care of each guest Polish shelter-clinic, moreover, not paying attention to the type of animal.

No, Rademenes did not learn how to take tests and prescribe medications! However, during the whole day he takes care of every sick creature that ended up in the shelter: Rademenes lies next to sick animals, licks their muzzles and ears, hugs them with his paws, shares his warmth.

Shelter workers have long considered the cat as their talisman, which promises recovery to every patient shelter-clinic for animals. The sight of a cat showing concern for his fellows has become so familiar to everyone in this center that they have long jokingly (or even seriously!) Called Rademenes a nurse and their colleague.

Touching photos of animals and people

Mzi the turtle and Owen the hippo

Looking at this couple, you are just waiting for the hippopotamus to say now: “Ride me, big turtle!”. However, a hippo named Owen weighs more than a lion cub... And the advanced age of a turtle named Mzi, as it were, hints at the need for respectable behavior.

This unusual friendship between a turtle and a hippo began in 2004. Owen had previously lived in Kenya with his family, but lost all his loved ones after the tsunami that happened in the Indian Ocean. The animal was identified in Haller Park, one of the reserves in Kenya.

Although the hippo already at that time weighed a couple of hundred kilograms, he was very weak. Trying to attach him to some other hippo family would be reckless - the males would not be able to accept the baby, killing him as a potential competitor.

But Owen unexpectedly found himself a new family - in the person of a 130-year-old turtle named Mzi! The latter did not immediately appreciate breadth of soul and good impulses of a young hippo trying to avoid contact with him for a long time. However, Owen turned out to be that stubborn one.

The giant tortoise gave up and soon this unusual friendship became strong and famous all over the world. Animals, a year later, became best friends. They are almost always together, sometimes staying in a pond, sometimes eating, sometimes just lying under a tree in leaves and grass.

Owen eventually adopted the turtle's habits: he not only sleeps at night, unlike other hippos, but also great at eating turtle food. Perhaps this relationship would be better called the relationship of mother and son than friendship. Although the animals frolic as equals (which, in principle, is not characteristic of turtles).

Owen is getting bigger and bigger every day than Mzee (who was originally three times the size of a hippopotamus). Most likely, reserve workers will be forced to separate the animals so that Owen, because of his love and playfulness, does not crush or trample poor Mzi. However, perhaps people will come up with something else so as not to separate this unusual couple.

The dog who couldn't forget his dead owner

It has been ten years since the release of the heartbreaking and touching story about dog loyalty called “Hachiko: The Most Faithful Friend”. Despite the wide popularity of this story, it is impossible not to recall it in this article.

However, it is not necessary to dwell on Hachiko. In fact, similar stories related to the manifestation unending loyalty on the part of dogs occur much more frequently. This speech will focus on a German shepherd named "Captain", who lived in the Argentine town of Villa Carlos Paz (province of Cordoba).

A certain Miguel Guzman gave a German Shepherd puppy to his son. However, as is often the case, he himself became the real and most beloved master of the Captain. A year later, Miguel died unexpectedly. On the same day, the dog disappeared from the house. At least when Guzman's relatives returned home after the funeral, the Captain was no longer there.

The owners decided that something happened to the dog. However, when they visited the father of the family at the cemetery the following Sunday, found the Captain on the gravestone of the head of the family. The dog saw them and began to howl, as if complaining and mourning Miguel.

Since then, the Captain has literally lived on his master's grave. They repeatedly tried to bring him back home, but the dog did not stay there for a long time - every evening at six o'clock it fit on the grave of Miguel Guzman, where he spent the whole night.

Compassionate visitors to the cemetery and its workers fed the Captain. So he lived on the grave for ten whole years. There he died, moreover, quite recently. Representatives of the Animal Welfare Fund plan to obtain permission from relatives to bury the faithful dog next to his beloved owner.

Our little brothers

Dog Jack - the winner of cancer

Another story related to a German Shepherd named Jack has touched the souls of so many people suffering from various cancers. Dog Jack was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 14 months.

The owners took the animal to the clinic, where, as a result, Jack underwent a six-hour operation to remove a cancerous tumor that had already metastasized. affecting his whole left ear. The cancer penetrated into the external auditory canal, and therefore the left ear of the animal had to be amputated.

Diseases, injuries, lichen and even fleas suddenly deprive pets of the former love of their owners. Very often, a sick little animal becomes a burden and ends up on the street. And finding a new loving owner is very difficult. But not hopeless.

Employees of veterinary clinics can tell dozens of similar stories. Every month they find abandoned animals on the doorstep. The institution is commercial, but homeless patients are treated here for free.

It’s a little expensive, say the staff of the veterinary clinic. “But we cannot leave innocent animals, not guilty of human cruelty, to die in the street.

During this year, one clinic sheltered and cured 16 homeless cats and dogs. Doctors try to place each animal in good hands. Offer to customers, advertise. Only it is very difficult to find owners for animals with defects.

Devotion

One day, doctors saw an old, useless German Shepherd in the courtyard of the clinic. The dog ran nearby, but did not let any of the people near him. Sometimes the shepherd disappeared for days on end, so the workers of the hospital did not immediately understand that the “caring” owners had abandoned it. Only a month later, when the animal, exhausted from hunger, came to die on the threshold of the clinic, one of the girls dared to approach the proud dog.

“The old shepherd took a bowl of water and a handful of dry food,” says Elena Grigorieva, an employee of the clinic. - She, apparently, was waiting for the owners to the last. Therefore, she did not let anyone in and grinned in response to our attempts to make friends. Then the dog was taken in by one of our clients.

Dear Lexus!

It happens that completely strangers bring animals. This spring, a Lexus driver hit a small puppy. To get a mongrel that fell under the wheels, the woman even called the Ministry of Emergencies. After that, she took the dog to the same veterinary clinic, paid for the treatment and even promised to take him home later. The puppy had many fractures and had to undergo two surgeries. True, the woman never took him away. The dog walked with pins for three months, took root in the hospital and even received the name Lexus. He lived in the clinic for eight whole months, and then he was taken to guard the nearest enterprise. At first, the doctors and the director of the veterinary clinic were glad that their pet could live in the wild. But then they found out that there was not even a booth for him.

“We went to visit him, he missed us so much that he didn’t want to let go,” recalls the head of the clinic, Ivetta Andrianova. - My heart just bled when they thought that this sick animal would have to be constantly in the yard. After all, after injuries by human standards, Lexus became disabled.

Therefore, it was decided to return the dog to the clinic. Maybe there will be someone who will dare to take Lexus to a warm house and cure him to the end.

Musya and Kuzya

The cat, which was brought by the former owners to be treated for worms, lived in the hospital for about a year. There was almost no hope left, but the girl nevertheless got out. True, on the basis of the disease she developed epilepsy. From any stress, the cat lost its orientation and hid in a corner. She did not let strangers near her and was afraid of absolutely any movement. Luckily for the cat, one day pensioner Irina Matveeva turned to the clinic. She brought her pet, an old dog, to be euthanized, and saw an unfortunate cat.

We visited Musya to find out if the cat had recovered from her illness. A proud multicolored cat met us at the door. True, then she remembered that she should be afraid of outsiders, and hid behind the back of the older cat Kuzi.

Musya came to life in good hands, learned to run, jump. The hostess gives her a massage every day and talks like a small child. True, when he runs hard, Musya's legs begin to shake and his head dangles. Then Kuzya comes into play. Licks her, takes care of her as best she can. The hostess is not overjoyed at the pet.

- Animals just save you from loneliness, - says Irina Ilyinichna. - And I pay them good and care in return.

Diana Elistratova