Forced to Give Up Her Dog, a Young Girl Left a Heart-Wrenching Note for the Pup’s Future Owners

A young girl’s heartbreaking note to the new owners of her beloved dog, Rhino Lightning, will bring a tear to your eye.

The girl, one of four belonging to a Utah family, recently had to bid farewell to Rhino Lighting as her parents were forced to turn the dog into a local shelter. They still loved the animal, but the 3-year-old boxer was becoming too rough with the children and hard to control.

“Boxers just don’t really know their own size when they’re moving their body around. They (the family) said he’s a great dog, but it was too much. He was knocking the young kids over,” explained Deann Shepherd, a Humane Society of Utah spokesperson, to Inside Edition.

However when Rhino Lightning was adopted, he’ll be accompanied by a letter written by his former family’s youngest daughter. The missive reads:

“Rhino is a good dog and he loves cuddles. [J]ust don’t tease him with treats, he will start to bark like crazy. Then you have to [j]ust try and calm him with any [tennis] balls. He rips those apart in one day. But if you get him a green nerf ball he can’t tore that apart. His […] name is Rhino [Lightening] then your last name. Please don’t rename him. Rhino is a striped dream. His [cheeks] make a lot of [slobber]. Please tell Rhino that I love and miss him every night.”

Though the girl’s words are heartbreaking, Shepherd points out that Rhino Lightning finding a new home was best for all involved.

“We don’t want the dog to stay in a situation that’s not perfect,” she explained to Inside Edition. “We want to be sympathetic to the family who relinquished him. It’s heartbreaking. We’re hoping maybe one day, the family can adopt another pet that’s a better fit.”