Whether all dogs go to heaven or not, a very good boy is immortalized for posterity here on Earth with a statue in the Estonian capital, Tallinn.
The black and white stray dog, whom the locals called Zorik, has been a resident of the Kalamaja neighborhood for 12 years, since he was a puppy, before being taken by good Samaritans to spend his last days in shelter and comfort.
But the community missed the presence so dearly that they launched a fundraiser for a statue of Zorik, created by local artists, to be erected in a nearby public area for everyone to honor and honor. remind him. The sculpture depicts a good puppy, sitting upright, with a cat nestled under his chest. It is said that the believer Zorik often entered Tallinn with other strays, including cats.
“People donated to the monument,” said Heiki Valner, an animal savior and leader of Zorik’s statue campaign. “His fate still follows, even though he is already old and fragile,” she told AP.
The neighborhood is home to both Estonian and Russian speakers, who have found a common ground in their appreciation of the dog, according to Valner, calling Zorik a “point of integration” for the growing community. A newly opened cafe even took its dog’s name as a tribute.
In the past, many residents have tried to bring the “free spirit,” as Valner called it, but he refused to stay put. As he began to grow old, concerns for his health and safety led rescuers to find shelter for Zorik again.
“Eventually, he was so senile that he would only fall asleep on the railroad tracks or the tram or right here on the road, so the cars had to move around him,” Valner said.
Viktoria Ger, Zorik’s last caretaker, called him a “strange dog” who “doesn’t trust people,” who he said was the result of a hard life and abuse by some heartless people. Not everyone treated him with dignity, according to Valner, who called his story “a contest of good and evil.”
In Zorik’s case, “kindness won,” she said.