Liam Payne adopted a dog from a rescue shelter through a meet-and-greet month before his death

As per The Mirror, weeks before Liam Payne lost his life in a tragic fall, he had adopted a dog with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy.

The former One Direction member traveled to Argentina with Kate for a holiday and to see his friend, Niall Horan, perform live in Buenos Aires. As per E! news, prior to their travel, the two visited an animal shelter for a meet-and-greet with three dogs, including Nala, a rescue dog they later welcomed home.

The Mirror also reported that Payne had opened up about the experience before his death, saying:

"I really love her. She is so cute. She is a tiny new member of the family for a while. We're going to foster her for a while and get her really nice for a loving family I think. But we might be the nice family."

Payne was staying in the CasaSur Palermo hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he fell from his hotel room on the afternoon of October 16. The news of the 31-year-old's death has shaken not just his fans but many celebrities in the past week.

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Payne's girlfriend was recently spotted walking his dog

According to The New York Post, on Monday, October 21, Kate Cassidy, who was dating Liam Payne, was seen in public for the first time since his demise. According to the pictures obtained by the media outlet, Cassidy was in grey sweatpants, slides, and an oversized white t-shirt, out on an errand run.

She was walking with two of her friends, with Nala on a leash. She was seen carrying bags of dog food. Last Friday, Cassidy broke her silence about Liam Payne's death for the first time in her Instagram story, writing:

"Thank you for all of the kind words and love that has been sent my way. I have been at a complete loss. Nothing about the past few days have felt real. I ask and pray that you’ll give me the grace and space to navigate this in private."

The influencer continued:

"Liam, my angel. You are everything. I want you to know I loved you unconditionally and completely. I will continue to love you for the rest of my life. I love you Liam."

While Kate was with the Stack It Up singer on his trip to Buenos Aires, she returned to Florida two days before Payne's death. As per The Mirror, after adopting Nala, Cassidy said:

"We did a meet and greet with three different dogs and this one fit us best. She's so sweet. She's only four months old. She was abandoned by her previous owners and dumped at the shelter. We wanted to give her a second chance and a better life."

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Liam Payne looked forward to seeing his dog after returning home

According to E! News, Liam Payne posted a Snapchat video of himself detailing who he was excited to see upon returning home. After playfully calling Kate a "weirdo" for leaving ahead of him, he added:

"Obviously, we’re gonna go home and see our dog... Nala, Noonie, Chooch. What else do I call her? I call her really random names, I make up a lot of random names. Choochie. So, nothing to do with Nala."

Nala is not the only dog Liam Payne has adopted. Earlier this year, the Strip That Down singer adopted another dog and named him Stanley. While introducing Stanley to his fans in an Instagram post, Payne wrote:

"Our hearts are bigger with you in it."

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According to TODAY, on an autopsy report released after Liam Payne's death, it was confirmed that he died of "polytrauma and internal and external bleeding." The outlet also reported that the Argentina National Prosecutor’s Office stated in a press release that "a series of substances were seized from the musician’s room, which would prove a previous situation of alcohol and drugs consumption."