While covering the floods that hit Rio Grande do Sul, reporter Paulo Mathias, from SBT, visited one of the numerous shelters spread across the state that takes in homeless animals.
Besides people, many pets have also been displaced, lost, or separated from their families. Fortunately, makeshift animal shelters have been created to keep them safe.
However, as good as the volunteers’ intentions may be, this is a completely different reality than what these animals have known previously.
Any and all attention they receive, no matter how brief, has the power to transform the appearance of these animals.
At the shelter, while the camera was recording for the live broadcast, reporter Mathias met a scared puppy, rescued by the flood, who had lost his family.
Unexpectedly, the dog began hugging the reporter’s leg for comfort.
The scene did not go unnoticed by the team, nor by Mathias.
“I can feel his little heart,” Mathias said. “He’s very scared.”
At the time, the puppy’s family was listed as “missing,” so his time at the shelter seemed indefinite, and perhaps he wouldn’t even leave.
But the encounter between him and Mathias would change that. The reporter was so touched by the dog’s spontaneous and pure gesture that he decided to take him into his home as a temporary home, to restore some peace and comfort after the disastrous events of the past few weeks.
“In the midst of chaos, a friendship emerged,” wrote Mathias.
What was supposed to be just another story for the journalist turned into a beautiful gesture of love, which, without a doubt, made a lonely dog’s heart begin to heal.
The scene moved both the crew and the viewers who watched it, as was the case with Hiro Jong.
“When the report came out, I was at work, but I stopped to watch,” Jong told The Dodo. “I was moved. I could see how happy he was to have the reporter by his side, and also how important this visit to the shelters was to show the reality of these puppies who experienced the flood.”
When Jong heard the news that Mathias had opened his home to the dog, he couldn’t have been happier with the news.
“These temporary homes are important. The animals can receive better care. They also need affection and care,” said Jong. “Sometimes, these homes can become permanent. It’s a very beautiful gesture.”
The special moment, of course, marked the reporter, who shared some images of the visit to the shelter on his social media.
“Much more than just news coverage. It was our evolution as human beings. We’re now returning to São Paulo. Thank you for your kindness,” he wrote in the caption.
A piece of news that certainly warms the hearts of many people, especially the little dog that was taken in by the reporter.
Temporary homes in RS
Volunteers from the NGO project Doctors of the World are compiling a list of people willing and prepared to provide temporary homes for rescued animals.
The initiative allows shelters to have an option to turn to, and animals are referred, when necessary, after receiving evaluation and medical care.
Although many of the dogs and cats found have owners, it is possible that some cannot return to their previous homes or that their owners cannot be located, as volunteer Ana Esteves, from Médicos-Veterinarios de Rua, explained to GZH .
