Pets can change people's lives at any age. A person on Reddit posted a heartfelt typed letter they received from a neighbor who watched their pets for a short period of time. It describes how the three animals—Smokey, Oreo, and Jennifer–helped cure his loneliness and isolation from living alone.
“As you know, I'm an old man,” the man, named Robert, says in the letter. “You don't see me outside often anymore, as these joints aren't as lovely as they used to be. To add to that, two years ago, in the midst of the pandemic, my dad got diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. After his death, I was left alone in my home. I don't have wife or kids.”
His age and lack of social contact were affecting his mental health, too. However, when the pets were introduced to his life, he felt his entire routine shift. “Your pets are the cutest, funniest, and most troublesome (In a good way, don't worry, they didn't mess up the house too much!) individuals,” he adds. “They gave me the motivation to restart my life again. I started waking up early in the mornings. I began to take walks outside with your pets for the first time in years.”
In addition to receiving plenty of affection from the pets themselves, the dogs also brought human interaction back into Robert's life. “I was so happy to finally be able to talk with friends again, interact with others, and feel like I'm part of the human race,” he continues. At the end of the letter, he says that pet-sitting has inspired him to adopt two dogs to keep him company. “I now take regular walks to the park with them and talk with friends I made there.”
A Redditor received a letter from an elderly neighbor named Robert who watched their pets.
The man said watching the two dogs and cat helped cure his loneliness.
Robert had been living alone for years with no family. After watching his neighbor's dogs, he said he adopted two dogs of his own.
h/t: [Reddit]
All images via Reddit.
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