This was an awesome cartoon! It's mostly because of how realistic it is. It depicts what could happen to anybody in real life. It makes me sad, because this kid appears to be homeless. Even without dialogue, you gave them all so much personality. I thought it reminded me vaguely of Hotdiggedydemon.
I'm glad to have come by this! I knew things wouldn't quite work out for the kid in the end. He just needs to keep on going and looking for, well, joy in everything! It is a pretty uplifting cartoon. I just love the relationship with this dog. A truly wonderful cartoon!