Flanders no Inu

Nello is a poor orphan living with his grandfather in a village near Antwerp, helping with milk deliveries while dreaming of becoming an artist like Rubens. His gentle life changes when he rescues Patrasche, an exhausted dog abused and abandoned by its former owner. The two become inseparable companions.

Nello's closest human friend is Alois, the daughter of a wealthy family, but her father looks down on the boy and sees his devotion to drawing as useless. As poverty and suspicion close in around him, Nello continues to pursue his art with quiet determination, relying on Patrasche and the few people who still believe in him.