I was just a tiny puppy when someone found me through a social media post and took me home. But home wasn’t what I thought it would be… I was left all alone in the backyard, watching life happen from behind a fence. I shivered through the freezing rain in winter and panted under the scorching summer sun, longing for warmth, for kindness, for someone to see me.
Then, one day, a roaming dog from the neighborhood found his way to me, and soon, I was carrying life inside me. I was so small, so fragile, but no one noticed, no one cared. When the cold winter came, I gave birth—six tiny, helpless puppies, depending on me for everything. I was scared, exhausted, and freezing, but I had to be strong. I curled around them, shielding their tiny bodies from the bitter wind, my own hunger and pain forgotten. I was just a shadow in the backyard, fighting to keep my babies alive.