Sam was a beautiful cocker spaniel dog who belonged to a well-to-do family of Aurangabad. He would roam in the car, wear two collars, had his own room, a fluffy bed, and everything that any dog wished for.

But Sam always had the attitude of “I am the best,” on his face whenever he stepped out of the house. He felt that no one was better than him, not even his owners. He never listened to them and rather than his owners owning him, it felt as if Sam owned them.

But unlike Sam, his owners were amazing people. They took care of each and every living being around them. Be it the birds, squirrels, stray dogs, or cats, every animal was fed by Sam’s owners.

In all, there were 3 dogs, 2 strays who lived outside the house, Sam and one rescue kitten living in Sam’s territory.

For Sam, the two stray dogs were like a sidekick. Depending on his mood, he would play with them or chase them. His aim while meeting the strays was to solely show that he was more powerful than them. But the strays were never offended by Sam’s this behavior. Doing anything against Sam meant no food from his owners. So they just tolerated him and followed Sam.

But with the rescued kitten, Sam had a very beautiful and interesting relationship. He considered himself a protector of her. In his mind, he was the kitten’s superhero who kept all the predatory bigger away from her. He would go to any extent to keep the kitten safe.

Sam’s favorite human Kim was the one who had gotten Sam. Sam and Kim had the most amazing relationship. From baby Sam to the spoiled brat Sam, Kim had seen Sam’s journey through thick and thin.

Just a few days back, Kim had returned to Aurangabad after finishing her studies abroad. 

Upon seeing the rescued kitten Kim got excited. Her eyes gleamed up looking at such a tiny, cute fur-ball walking and jumping in the house. Kim would play with the kitten all day long. She would run behind her, toss her in the air, feed her and just have the time of her life with the kitten. 

But someone was not happy to see this newly-formed bond. Sam was super-jealous of this stupid diversion of attention. He just couldn’t stand the fact that Kim and the kitten had fun, “without him.” 

He started coming up with cheap tricks to keep Kim and the kitten apart. He would run behind the kitten, growl at her and scare the hell out of her. He just wanted the kitten to stay out of the house. 

Sam even stopped playing with the strays. Now he only chased them acting as if he will bite off their skin if he catches them. With the owner too, he behaved in the worst way. He was filled with aggression and domination.

Slowly everyone was scared of Sam. Even the kids who earlier used to play with him now stayed 10 feet away.

One day, when Kim stepped out to feed the stray dogs, Sam came running, nudged Kim, and ran behind a little girl who was playing on the street. The strays, his sidekicks, as usual, followed his lead and started running behind the girl.

Kim quickly ran, picked the girl up, shooed away the three dogs, and managed everything. No one was hurt but the little girl had gotten so scared that her parents decided to call a dog van the next morning to pick up the strays and take them elsewhere.

The next day both the strays were gone. Kim and her family felt heartbroken because the strays were just following Sam’s lead. They weren’t at fault. Upon seeing all of this Sam also felt a little bit of guilt. But the emotion of jealousy was so strong that it overpowered the emotion of guilt. 

His attitude towards his owners and the kitten didn’t change at all. He was spreading out the same aggression and unwilling vibe.

Two days later, Kim and her family went on a vacation. Sam and the kitten were left at home with a caretaker who came in twice a day to feed them and check everything. 

All alone in the house with the kitten who stayed out most of the time, Sam got all the time in the world to introspect. 

He recalled all the good times he had with the strays, the kitten, Kim, and the neighbor’s kids. 

In everyone’s absence, Sam realized that he had been taking everyone for GRANTED instead of being GRATEFUL for having them. Sam hated himself for not being grateful enough for having such beautiful souls around him. 

When he was all alone, no feeling of jealousy or being “the best” occurred. Now all he felt was a void. A void that never existed when the strays and the kitten were around.

After a week, when Kim and other family members returned from the vacation, Sam’s behavior changed to a whopping 360 degrees. He listened to everything that his owners said, protected the kitten, shared his bed and toys with her and respected his owners. 

Now, Kim, the kitten, and Sam played together which was double fun. 

But one thing was still missing, the strays. Sam missed them the most. He would go out and whine sitting on the rug where the strays slept. Kim noticed this and decided to talk to the neighbors.

She assured them that the strays won’t create any problems now. The little girl who was chased by the dogs also requested her parents to get back the strays. Finally, they agreed and the next day Kim made a few calls, visited some 10-15 dog sites, and eventually found her beloved stray dogs. She got them home and Sam just went gaga upon seeing them. 

They jumped, licked, played, and howled to their heart’s content.

Just by being GRATEFUL, Sam got everything that he missed in his life.