Tyson is a Belgian shepherd dog and he is ten years old. He now lives in Germany with his new friend, who is an eight year-old female dog. When you look at their photograph, you might say they are like brother and sister, living together since always. However, Tyson's story was not that happy in the beginning.

Five years ago, his owners got tired of him and decided to leave him. He was just barely lucky that they did not throw him out in the street or leave him tied to a tree in a forest, like some people do to their dogs. Instead, they brought him to the animal shelter in Čakovec, which is run by the society Prijatelji. He spent five long years in the shelter. Although by nature a good and peaceful dog, Tayson was slowly losing hope that someone would adopt him from the shelter, since he was surrounded by many younger and prettier dogs. He did not complain, he was happy, especially when given a little attention and a scratch on the back, and he spent his days with little Šiška, his friend.

However, the volunteers at the shelter never stopped trying to find him a home. They knew that some person surely existed, someone who would love him, and with whom he would peacefully spend his remaining days, under the Sun, the Moon, the stars and on the green grass that he likes so much.

Miss Kathi Krebs, director of Tierwald, the German society for the protection of animals, also fell in love with Tyson. She has been helping the shelter in Čakovec for years, and she vowed that she would find him a new home.

And that is exactly what happened. This spring, Tyson traveled to his new home. We all felt very sad, because we loved that dog's soul so much, his courage to endure, the peace which he radiated, those eyes that were skillfully hiding all the pain and misery of a dog's life. However, we knew that he was on his way to spend his old age in dignity. When the time to say goodbye came, when Tyson was about to embark on a journey to a new life, he was so happy; that little spark of hope in his eyes  started shining so brightly, he was joyfully wagging his tail and, you may not believe it – he was smiling. He knew that he was not going for a walk to a near-by park, or to the vet's. He knew that no more would someone stand by his stall in the shelter and say: “This one is to old, he should be euthanized”. That sentence was always hard on the volunteers, who took care of him and who have successfully managed to maintain a no-kill policy in the shelter. That way every dog and cat have an opportunity to eventually find a new home, their place in the Sun.

Every life is worth living and all living beings, be they human or non-human, have an equal right to live until the natural end of their days.

And so, with a pain in our hearts and tears in our eyes, we said goodbye to our friend. However, deep down in our soul we were happy, because another abandoned being found a new home. And that motivates us to endure in our activism to stop the abandoning of animals – until the last shelter is empty, until human consciousness evolves enough to understand that animals are sentient and conscious beings who, like people, feel sadness, pain, suffering, joy and happiness in many life's moments.

With that insight alone this world has a chance of becoming a place where there will be no suffering for any living being.

Thank you, Tyson, for the moments you shared with us, and may you be happy.