When we think of nice gestures, we usually think of the obvious ones, given from one person to another in a moment of need.
But what about those gestures that go unnoticed, perhaps because the recipient is unable to express their gratitude for what has happened?
One such gesture could have gone unnoticed recently, if it wasn’t for a CCTV camera that captured a woman’s heartwarming gesture towards a cold, stray dog.
The woman was filmed leaving a cafe on a rainy day in Turkey, when she noticed a stray dog curled up in front of a cafe attempting to shelter from the rain.
As she puts her umbrella up to keep herself dry, she is about to walk away when she looks over at the dog who is exposed to the elements.
After a few seconds of deliberating, the woman can be seen taking off her scarf and placing it over the dog like a blanket, in order to keep it warm.
You can take a look at the heartwarming moment below:
Köpek üşümez diyen olursa ağır konuşurum!Zonguldak 'ta mağazadan çıkan bir bayan, üşüyen köpeğimizi görüyor. Ne yapsam diye düşünürken boynundan çıkardığı şalı üzerine örtüyor. Insanlar yavaş yavaş bile olsa artık bilinçleniyorlar. Umutluyuz
Posted by Boran Karahan on Wednesday, 2 January 2019
The video was posted to Facebook and has since received a lot of attention, with people applauding the woman for her selfless actions.
The woman – Duygu Elma – did not expect to receive any praise for what she did in that moment, The Dodo reports.
She said:
I couldn’t imagine that my actions would receive this attention. I’m very surprised about it. The weather was so cold. I just couldn’t take it when I saw him shivering.
Elma explained how covering the dog with her scarf felt like the right thing to do at the time, as she was unable to do anything else to help it.
Although the young woman’s encounter with the stray ended there, there’s no doubt her act of kindness had a positive impact on the dog’s life.
Which is reminiscent to another story about stray dogs recently, where a man in Brazil was kept company by his stray companions when he was admitted to hospital.
César is homeless but has a loyal pack of canine friends. And friends they were, as each of the dogs refused to leave him alone during his time of need.
César was getting treated for a pre-existing medical condition when a nurse at Hospital Regional Alto Vale in Rio do Sul, Cris Mamprim, saw the dogs waiting patiently outside the door.
César walked into the hospital in the early hours of Sunday morning (December 9, 2018) before people realised that he wasn’t alone. Four furry companions were waiting outside, each refusing to leave César until he was seen to by hospital staff.
Mamprim wrote an emotional post on Facebook after she witnessed the display of loyalty:
Com tanta gente mal por aí, hoje me deparei com essa cena. No hospital em que trabalho, as 3h da madrugada, enquanto…
Posted by Cris Mamprim on Saturday, 8 December 2018
She started by explaining that the man had come into the hospital in which she works at 3am. When asked about his furry friends, César explained how he had been giving any food he could get his hands on to the dogs – meaning he often went without.
This meant that, because of the man’s sacrifices, the dogs were well fed; Mamprim even described them as ‘chubby’.
She told The Dodo:
They are all well taken care of and chubby. Seeing them like that, waiting at the door, only shows how much they are cared for and loved.
I’m not crying, you are.
I hope César has recovered and is able to live a happy life with his canine companions.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to [email protected].
A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).