A Lost LIttle Dog Finds It's Way

You’re a five-year-old dog, and you lived with your dad in Malaysia.  Lately, there hasn’t been much food. Your Dad’s not working. There is no money coming in.  He despairs that he won’t be able to care for you any longer, but you stress that it is okay, as long as it stays you and him, nothing beats a pair.

You like to go for car rides.  Recently, they have been few and far between.  There has been no money for food, nevermind gas, and nowhere to go.  One day your dad, with tears in his eyes, opened the car door for you. You happily got in.  Your dad drove for a few miles. Then he pulled over. He hugged you. His tears landed on your fur.  He took a piece of paper and jammed it under your collar. He opened your door and pushed you out. You expected him to get out of the car too, but he hit the gas and left you behind. 

You waited for several minutes, thinking your dad would come back, but he didn’t.  You were confused. Where did he go? Did something bad happen to him? You began to walk down the street, hoping to pick up his scent.  You didn’t pay attention to the cars speeding around you. You have a mission, and nothing can keep you from completing it.

  

The skies grew darker and the sunset, but you kept walking.  The clouds opened up, and a soaking rain-drenched you. You didn't look for shelter.  You tried to find your dad's scent, as your heart grew desperate. Your dad has always saved you from situations like this.  Now, he wasn’t. You refused to accept what you knew was true. He had left you.

The sun came up, the rain stopped, and you kept walking, no longer looking, just trying to survive.  You heard stories of the men with the cages and the needles that sent you to the Bridge. You knew you had to avoid them.  You were wet, cold, and hungry, and mostly surviving on instincts, which told you to keep moving until you arrived at where you needed to be.

You sense a man is following you.  You see him a few cars back. You try to lose him amongst the cars.  You cross the street and see a grassy area. Sitting there, looking right at you is your purser.  He sits on the grass. You sit too, ten feet from him, and study his every move. He never wavers. You have a choice.  To trust him, knowing he might be the man with the needle, or to run, which was safer, at least for now. Maybe not when you grew weak from lack of eating.  You waited, ten minutes, fifteen minutes, then you made your choice.

Five years ago, you trusted your dad, and that had worked out splendidly, until yesterday.  You decided to trust this new man. You went to him and sat down. The man removed the wet paper from your collar.  It was a note from your father. It said that he could no longer take care of you the way you needed. It begged whoever you found and the letter to give you a home. It explained what a good boy you were and that you have been a perfect pet. The man was crying. You didn’t know why, but you were making a lot of men cry lately.

The man began walking away, then turned back for you.  You were undecided for several seconds, and then you followed.  He opened the car door, and you got in the back seat. The two of you stopped at a pet shop, and he got you a new collar and leash, along with food and a bed.   You mourned the loss of your first dad, but you were excited about beginning life with your new dad.

You walked into your new home and immediately recognized the smell of another dog.  You had always wanted a brother. Then you saw him, tall, tan, and sleek, and you smiled.  He smiled back and said, “get out of my house!” He tried to bite you. He made sure you knew he was the only dog in a one dog house.  Your new dad did not remove you from the home immediately. He gave you your own space. But, he also knew how his other dog was and knew this wasn’t going to work out. 

The other dog was scary, but you understood that some dogs are meant to be only dogs.  You figured you would get some food and drink, get a good night’s sleep and begin your travels in the morning.  You heard a door open and smelled another man, whose scent was remarkably like the man who picked you up. You wandered out of the room to meet the two men, who were brothers, and the new one took to you right away, and you took to him.  He asked if you would like to be an only dog in his house, and you agreed.

And now you have your new forever home, after experiencing three dads in two days.  You hope your old dad is okay, but we dogs live for right now, and right now, things are good.   That is the best we can hope for.