There was a dog named Tobby. He was strong and very obedient. He guarded the house of Faisal, his owner, and also helped protect the neighbourhood. The neighbours admired Tobby, and he was loved by everyone for his playful nature.

“Lucky to have a dog like that,” said Faisal’s friend when he visited the house.

Faisal smiled and replied, “Yes, I guess!”

Tobby felt proud and energetic whenever he heard such praise. He wanted nothing more than a kind family and love. However, Faisal was careless. All he wanted was for the dog to take care of his property. He had no real affection for Tobby.

One day, Faisal and his family were invited to a wedding, so everyone left the house. Tobby stayed behind to guard it. Suddenly, a couple of burglars jumped into the house. They knew Faisal was rich and kept a lot of cash and gold at home.

They were sneaking through the hallway and, just as they had finished stealing the cash and gold and were on their way out, Tobby spotted them. He barked loudly and chased them. One of the burglars ran away, while the other, carrying the bag of cash and gold, was caught by Tobby’s strong, sharp teeth.

The burglar dropped the bag, hoping the dog would let him go. Tobby loosened his grip for a moment and the burglar escaped and jumped out of the house. Tobby followed him, but unfortunately, he was hit by a car, which injured his leg.

When Faisal and his family returned, they were shocked to see Tobby lying outside the front door. Faisal went inside and discovered the burglary. He also saw the bag of cash and gold lying in the driveway.

The accident left Tobby with a fractured leg, so he could no longer walk properly. He limped and became slow. Everyone insisted that Faisal take him to the vet. So, unwillingly, Faisal put Tobby in the car and drove off. During the journey, he kept thinking that it would be better to abandon him and get another dog instead of spending money on treatment. So, instead of taking him to the vet, he left Tobby at a dumpsite.

There were two other dogs there watching the whole scene, one black and one brown. They had also been abandoned just a few days earlier.

“Look, another loyal creature abandoned,” said the black dog, watching the whole scene with his friend, the brown dog.

“Humans will never change or understand,” said the brown dog.

Tobby felt lost and terribly lonely. He was shocked by Faisal’s behaviour, but he still hoped that Faisal would return with food or take him back. That hope faded with time. Tobby sat by the roadside, staring at the route his owner had driven away on.

“You don’t have to wait anymore. He has dumped you. It’s sad, but that’s reality,” said the black dog sadly.

“I dedicated my life to the family,” murmured Tobby.

“We also dedicated our lives, health and love, but in return, all we got was abandonment,” replied the black dog.

Tobby accepted the reality, but it broke him deeply inside. As the days went by, he roamed the streets with the other two dogs, spending time near restaurants in the hope of finding scraps of food or leftovers at the dumpsite. They hardly ever got enough to fill their stomachs.

Sometimes they would search for food for more than two days and still not get a mouthful.

One day, the black dog became sick and was too weak to walk. He sat in a corner, barely able to move.

“Let me search for food again,” said Tobby to the black dog as he limped towards the road.

A child in the distance hurled a stone at him. Tobby quickly limped in another direction.

He looked at the humans on the road with pleading eyes. Most walked past without a glance, but a young boy carrying freshly baked naans felt pity for him. He took one naan from the bag and tossed it towards Tobby.

Tobby could hardly believe his eyes! Was there still humanity left, he wondered. Carefully carrying the naan in his mouth, he brought it back and placed it in front of the black dog. The brown dog watched quietly.

“We’ll share,” said Tobby.

The black dog raised his head and ate slowly. A little colour seemed to return to his eyes. The three of them curled up together. In a world that had abandoned them, they still had each other.

Published in Dawn, Young World, June 28th, 2026