This is not a happy Christmas story.

In a Facebook post on Dec. 19, 2018, Derrick Tan, president of Voices For Animals, shared about the plight of a border collie named Caleb.

Caleb is allegedly being forced to be given up for adoption due to external pressure from neighbours and "others", despite the fact that its family loves it very much.

This is Caleb:

Tan wrote that he was "devastated" after responding to the appeal and learning about the situation from the family.

But the moment that continues to haunt him is when he had to pry Caleb from a crying little girl:

"The most painful thing and it kept bothering me was, I had to removed Caleb from a little girl that was crying and refusing to have Caleb given up, as I had to leave, the little girl asked if she could have Caleb tag as memorable gift for her, and she removed it from Caleb. As I brought Caleb away from her, there were tears on Caleb’s back where the little girl was hugging tightly."

Upon that sight, Tan promised the little girl that he would help Caleb to find the best family possible, one that would love him as much as they did.

"Think again before you complain"

At the end of the post, Tan warns his readers to think before they complain about an animal, as it has wider repercussions than it seems.

In this instance, Tan points out, a little girl has gone through much pain in parting with the family dog.

However, the exact circumstance of the story remains rather vague, with the cause of complaint against Caleb unknown.

Tan reveals a couple more details in the post's comments, such as one of the reasons why the family can't keep Caleb:

And a one-word reply of "apartment" when asked where does the family live:

According to existing guidelines, HDB does not allow homeowners to keep larger dog breeds.

Only HDB-approved breeds of dogs are allowed to be kept in public housing.

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Top image from Derrick Tan/Facebook