Let the countdown to the "Kai the Dog" movie and children's book franchise begin. The story of the Shar-Pei mix who was abandoned in a Scottish railway station on January 2 is almost at its happy ending.
In case you weren't among those caught up in the dramatic tale, let's recap it: Kai was found at the Ayr train station a week and a half ago, tied to a railing next to a suitcase containing his bowl, a pillow, a toy, and some food. With his adorably sad face and Paddington Bear back story, Kai became a viral sensation last week.
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The Scottish SPCA raised close to 4,900 pounds for his care (he needed an eye operation), while still searching for his owners. Finally, on Friday the woman who abandoned him was found, and she fessed up to the Daily Record.
Turns out, 39-year-old Fin Rayner had responded to an ad for the dog, but when she and her 9-year-old daughter showed up to buy him, she was disappointed that he wasn't the same dog she'd seen in the picture. The owner made her leave a deposit to take him for a walk, and then tore off in his car. She tried calling him, and he never returned. Then, Rayner, who says she panicked and needed to get her asthmatic daughter home on the last train, left the dog at the station.
Here's the thing: As cruel as it is to abandon a helpless animal like that, we're kind of glad she did. A woman who panics like she did was probably not going to be ready for the many, many challenges that come with owning a dog. What if she'd taken him home and mistreated him? We would never have been the wiser. And, because Kai, whose real name is actually Pluto, became so famous, he was able to get a much-needed eye operation this weekend.
Now, he's ready to be adopted by someone properly screened by the SPCA and prepared to give him a loving home.