Nine years ago, Nicole the beagle was left starved by a cruel family and almost hung to death in her own cage.
Fed only watermelon skin while being tied 24/7 with no shelter from rain or sun, she never indulged in natural, playful activities and never set her paws on fresh grass.
One can only imagine the kind of life the poor pooch had been living.
In a bid to escape her dreadful circumstances, Nicole tried to make a break for it.
Unfortunately, she got entangled by her leash during her attempt at freedom and what’s worse, her owners had left her hanging in the cage.
Not one of them moved neither an inch nor muscle to help Nicole.
Luckily, Ryan De Cruz’s aunt, who lived next door in his grandmother’s house, noticed this and immediately took action.
She climbed over the fence with much difficulty and managed to set Nicole free.
When asked whether the owners said or did anything about saving Nicole from certain death, Ryan said the owners were indifferent to it and shockingly said, “We should have let her die instead”.
Aware that Nicole’s near-death experience wouldn’t just been an isolated incident, and that anything could happen to her as long as she stayed with these horrid people, the De Cruz family asked if they could keep Nicole.
After all, the beagle deserved a much happier, healthier and better life. The further away from these nasty and abusive people, the better.
But Nicole’s owners refused, telling the De Cruz family that they could have her if she ran away.
And one fine and lucky day, she did.
The devastated beagle fled when her owners were moving house, leaving Ryan distraught.
Ryan and his mother mounted a hunt for Nicole and after about a week, found her rummaging for scraps at the food court where their wicked neighbours had found her abandoned and took her home months earlier.
Now that Nicole is no longer tied to the abusive family, Ryan did not hesitate to take her in this time.
Today, the once-forlorn pooch, whose estimated age is 11, is pampered and overweight; and gets moody when her 30-minute morning belly rub gets delayed.
“She has her breakfast at 6am and if I’m not up by then, she will huff and puff and eventually start barking,” said Ryan.
Ryan spends about four hours preparing her weekly home-made dog food, a mix of broccoli, capsicum, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, chicken or beef, brown rice and parsley which he stores in the freezer.
Like a possessive female in the guise of a dog, she snarls when anyone tries to rouse Ryan from his sleep and barks when anyone sits next to him.
“It’s like she has a special claim on me and my space for having saved her from her sad and abused life,” Ryan said laughingly.
According to Ryan, Nicole “rules everyone and everything in the house – even the bed!”
And how could she not? After all, she deserves to be in a loving home where she’s treated like royalty.
In turn, Nicole has definitely brought out the best in Ryan, who is determined to give this 11-year-old girl the best life she could ever imagine, and erase all the bad memories she had with her previous owners.
“Nicole has taught me to be more patient and responsible in life. She brought out the dad-mode in me and I’m like an anxious papa whenever she’s home alone,” he said proudly.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PET: FMT Lifestyle readers are invited to send in pictures (landscape format) and a short video (if any) of their furry, scaly or feathery friends to [email protected]. Don’t forget to include details like your pet’s name, age, breed and a short story about them.