A heartwarming message from an 'old dog' was enough to bring tears to another owner's eyes while they were out walking.
Pet sitter Kayley Drewitt cane across the not that melted her heart while out with her client's puppy, Ozzy, a 7-month-old Springer Spaniel.
She came across a cardboard box full of tennis balls with a note on the front of it, reports CambridgeshireLive.
Out of curiosity the pair approached to read the note and what Kayley read next 'brought tears to her eyes'.
It read: "I’m too old to play with my favourite tennis balls now. But it would make me very happy to know that some younger doggies would have fun with them. Love from Jarvis.”
The 29-year-old then shared the message with a local Facebook group in Ely, and received an overwhelming response from social media users, with some saying that the sweet gesture “instantly brought tears to my eyes”.
Another woman on Facebook commented: “My dog would have tried to take the whole box or just refused to go home and guarded them. She can get three in her mouth at once.”
Kayley added: “When we found out about the box, Ozzy put his head straight in it and picked a ball straight away.
“I thought it was an amazing gesture. There were so many balls in that box that I just wanted other people to be able to go and take their dogs there as well.
“I couldn't believe how many people liked it. It just shows that a little bit of kindness goes a long way.”
Kayley was later surprised to receive a message from Jarvis’ owner, Lian Wymer, who spotted the same post when randomly scrolling through Instagram.
Lian, a 53-year-old advocate for ethical animal sanctuaries from Littleport, wrote that it was a “bittersweet” experience seeing Ozzy sniffing the balls, but it made her “so happy”.
She explained: “Jarvis is nearly 11 now and he’s got very severe arthritis, so he’s no longer fit for ball games. But he used to be a very active boy who liked carrying a ball in his mouth wherever we went.
“My husband was cleaning out the back of the car where all the balls were kept, and he was just going to throw them away, but I said no.
“It was such a big part of Jarvis' daily life. He would always have his ball. I said I'd rather give them to somebody else.
“So I put them in a box, wrote a little note on it and left it in the park. But because of Covid, I wasn't sure if people would be a bit funny about picking them up. People are worried about getting in contact with others' possessions now.”
Grateful Kayley is planning to leave a thank-you gift on Jarvis’ doorstep after getting in touch with kind-hearted Lian, and they agreed to meet up soon to bring Ozzy and Jarvis together.
Lian added: “I just found it very heartwarming that people could see past how everyone had to be distant from each other.
“It just proved to me that people are seeing beyond Covid, and hopefully not thought twice about letting their dogs just take the balls from the box.
“I know Jarvis would’ve been over the moon if he saw that two years ago.”
