It was the onset of lockdown. No one had imagined in their wildest dreams, a negligible virus would bring us to our knees. As we look back, a year can do a lot. Undoubtedly, the crisis has left wounds that have not yet healed. A tragic impact was on the wildlife too. Animals were in threat and chaos due to the sudden shutdown of their food resources. When we were quarantined safely, hunger-stricken street animals were in dire need of food and human interaction. One such malnourished and bruised dog entered our locality. He would uninterruptedly whine, howl, aggressively bark and chase, disturbing our peace. Little did we know,  he was too frightened and injured to be left alone. Alas! The poor creature only craved love. When the whole universe is against you, it is that one ray of hope that unexpectedly pulls you out of misery. Everyone shooed away the dog except the children. Their compassion and kindness healed his wounds and helped him recover from his trauma. Coco, who was in excruciating pain a year ago, is now a lively and cheerful little dog.

Dog is man's best friend, but we forget that animals need affection too. They can't speak, but can empathize and understand almost everything that we would not bother to notice.

 When the whole world did not bat an eyelid towards that helpless animal, the children's purest love revived him. Do we really deserve the unconditional and selfless love of animals?

  A crippled animal drastically transformed and learnt to live. But being the most intelligent species, what did we learn in one year? As we complete one whole year of the pandemic, we recall how we were affected by the severe socio-economic stress and utter carelessness. But if we had really seen it coming, we would not be in the end game once again.

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