Fred, an ash-gray puppy full of life and love, found his home in the heart of an elderly gentleman named Henry who provided him with boundless love, the warmth of a home, and daily adventures filled with joy and affection.
Their shared happiness lasted two years until a tragic moment when the owner suddenly suffered a cardiac arrest during one of their many walks. As the owner lay unconscious on the street, Fred sensed unease and encountered a previously unknown feeling - fear. He knew something was wrong but remained composed and protective, not allowing anyone to approach his helpless owner, occasionally touching him with his paw and licking him until the arrival of the ambulance. He stayed by his owner's side in the ambulance and in the hospital room where he lay next to him. The doctors kept the owner alive for a short time until the cardiac monitor showed a flat line, after which they could only declare death. During the final farewell to his best friend, with the owner's favorite verses being read, Fred wondered when they would be together again, walking through some heavenly meadows.
However, it was clear that different plans were in store for him, and his mission on earth was not over, even though he didn't know his purpose. After the funeral, Fred was left alone and lost, with a scarf around his neck that he received from his owner on his first birthday. It was the only thing, besides memories, that reminded him of his best friend. Left to the mercy and cruelty of the cold, merciless streets, none of the owner's family wanted him. They only cared about getting the money and inheritance. Fred didn't understand what had happened. He found himself in a situation unfamiliar to him, feeling immense emptiness and helplessness. Without his owner, his best friend, he was lost and sad, rejected by everyone, with no hope for a better tomorrow. His life had turned upside down overnight. A comfortable bed and warm meals were replaced with cold asphalt and sleeping in cardboard boxes in deserted streets. His meals consisted of food scraps he found among the garbage cans and dumpsters if he was lucky. He survived thanks to the occasional kindness of strangers and passersby, which was becoming increasingly rare. He was cold, neglected, and hungry, wandering the streets daily in search of food and shelter from the cold.
After two years on the streets, on a chilly winter day, a media frenzy erupted, stirring the city and the world, causing a commotion among the animal and human world. A spectacular event, destined to change many lives and fates, was announced - the race of life with an unimaginable prize for the winner. Nightfall covered the city with a snowy, wintery, and rainy blanket. Fred couldn't sleep, shivering from the cold beside a garbage can, huddled in a cardboard box, unaware of what was happening around him. It was cold and windy. The wind of fate, which had often driven him to seek shelter, this time brought a crumpled, wet, and torn newspaper in front of him. On the front page, large letters spelled "RACE OF LIFE," sparking a different kind of curiosity in Fred. Even though the newspaper was almost completely destroyed by rain, Fred was so intrigued he began to read the article, which stated that the prize was 37.5 million US dollars.
A prize that could change not only his life story but also the story of all those who had suffered a similar fate. Fred was confused and didn't know exactly what this race entailed, but something inside him began to stir.
He wondered if this was his purpose.
His heartbeat quickened, and he felt a desire for life and adventure awakening within him. A protective instinct emerged, quietly telling him that he was chosen to protect the helpless and abandoned. He looked at his reflection in a puddle and saw a scared, exhausted, and undernourished dog. His desire quickly faded, doubting how he, in his unprepared and feeble state, could compete, let alone win and be a protector. He shed a tear and nostalgically thought of his late owner, bringing a brief smile to his face. He wiped his teary eyes with his paw and tucked the folded newspaper under his scarf.
The next morning, Fred's thoughts returned to the race. He found fish leftovers near a deserted bistro and again thought of the race. The feeling that he was the one resurfaced, and something inside him reignited, giving him the strength to not give up.
It wasn't just a desire to survive; it was a desire to overcome the circumstances that had befallen him, for a life worthy of remembrance not only for him but for all those who found themselves in a similar situation. Alone and lonely, without support and encouragement, Fred was another lost case played by life. But fate intervened in the form of a former world heavyweight boxing champion named Red Bomber, whom Fred bumped into while wandering the city streets. The impact caused the newspaper article to fall out of Fred's scarf right at the feet of the former boxer, who read it. Their eyes met, and through their expressions, they felt a connection as if they had known each other for years. The former boxer, whose own fall from the top was no less dramatic, recognized in Fred a spirit that refused to be broken, a spirit that wouldn't give up. In one of the many deserted and abandoned streets that had now become their home, their paths crossed at a time when they both needed a new beginning the most. The boxer decided to take Fred under his wing, not just to train him for the "Race of Life," but to provide him with warmth, safety, and most importantly, friendship.
The next morning, Fred mustered the courage to go to the registration center to sign up for the race. He filled out the forms and paid the entry fee, which the homeless had collected through street
begging. Word about him quickly spread through his neighborhood, and everyone saw something special in him, knowing he was the one. The surprised race participants at the registration center looked at him arrogantly and were astonished by his determination as he walked past the smug, elite racers who eyed him with disdain, including Toshi, Wen, Myro, Slerf, Pups, Maga, Baby Doge, Brett, Bonk, Floki, Dogwifhat, Pepe, Shiba Inu, Dogecoin, who wiped a smudge off his shoe with Fred's scarf, and finally the king, Bitcoin.
From that moment, training began. Fred forgot all the hardships he had endured but knew the weight of responsibility he carried because he wasn't running only for himself but for all those like him. Training for the race became a symbol of their shared struggle. Each running step Fred took was a step further from his past, and every piece of advice from the old boxer was a step towards his own redemption. The story of the symbiotic duo lifting each other from the ashes symbolizes not only the struggle of pets like Fred but also the power of a community willing to extend a hand to help the helpless.
In the following months, Fred trained diligently with his trainer multiple times a day in an abandoned, rundown boxing gym where his trainer had once honed his skills. The gym was full of dampness and dirt. When not in the gym, Fred ran through the streets of his neighborhood. Everyone was amazed by his passion, perseverance, determination, and desire. Even passersby who once avoided him now stopped and felt the need to support him.
As race day approached, Fred was very excited and nervous, somewhat unsure of himself. He had never participated in anything like this before and didn't know what to expect. But he was ready to give his all, to leave his heart and soul, every atom of his being in the race because it was literally the race of his life in every sense. On race day, thousands of competitors from all over the world gathered. Fred arrived with his trainer, who looked at him, placed a hand on his shoulder, and pointed to the scarf, telling him it was now a symbol of their unity, their fight for a better tomorrow, for him and all those like them. When things got tough and his strength waned, he should remember that he was not alone and that he surely had a supporter in heaven to be his wind at his back. He also reminded him of their motto, "NEVER GIVE UP." Just before the start and the gunshot, Fred fainted from excitement, adrenaline, and desire, to the astonishment of all present. Everyone had already started and gotten ahead while Fred's trainer rushed to revive him. After several unsuccessful attempts, he finally succeeded, and Fred embarked on his race of life.