Don't delay kindness
A woman from Bani Israil saw a dog near a well, almost dying of thirst. She took off her shoe, scooped up water, and gave it to the dog. Because of that, Allah forgave her. (HR. Al-Bukhari 3321 and Muslim 2245)
A man who was extremely thirsty during a trip. He climbed into a well, drank, and came back up. Then he saw a dog licking the dirt from thirst. He said, “That dog feels just like I did.” So he went back down, filled his shoe with water, held it in his mouth, and climbed back up to give it to the dog. Allah praised him and forgave him.
A friend of the Prophet Muhammad asked, “Is there reward for helping animals we take care of?” The Prophet replied, “In every living heart, there is reward.” (HR. Al-Bukhari 2363, Muslim 2244, from Abu Hurairah)
(from Syajaratul Ma‘arif, Syaikh al-‘Izz bin Abdus Salam)