Every person has a story. So does every dog…
Socialization
Snuggling against my mother’s warm body felt safe. My five littermates squirmed close by.
In the distance, I heard a human voice for the first time. I delighted in the kind caress of a human hand. The outstretched finger softly stroked under my fuzzy chin.
“You’re going to be a strong, healthy pup,” it said. I sensed the sound was good. I felt safe.
I was getting bigger. My eyes could focus on my surroundings. As I peeked out of my big box, I wagged my tail when I saw a human approach. Two big hands lifted me into the air. I knew those kind, secure hands by heart—they never hurt me.
Every day, new humans touched my furry head, cuddled my squirmy body, and made funny little human sounds. I liked humans!
Food and Water
Weeks passed. My tummy rumbled a lot because I was growing so fast. The humans now put down pans of food three times a day.
My littermates and I scrambled to the pan, bumping and shoving for the best spot. Life was fun. I played, explored, learned, competed, and chewed on… ummmm… everything!
One day, many humans visited our home. My littermates slowly started disappearing. I missed them. I searched everywhere, but they never came back.
The following morning, I decided to search for them. I squeeeeeeeeezed under the gate and escaped into a vast area of rocks and tall weeds.
Wow! Freedom! I had not seen anything like this before. I trotted up a hill, jumped into a puddle (slurp, slurp, slurp), rolled down a hill, jumped over a big rock, squeezed through tiny spaces, and ran some more. There was so much to see and hear!
Then my tummy started grumbling (chomp, chomp on some flowers). I was hungry and… where was I?
OH NO! Nothing looked familiar. I started getting scared. The sun began to set. It was getting dark. It was getting cold. I was alone…
© Woof and Me
Identification
The next morning, I felt the warmth of the sun on my back. My eyes slowly opened. Human touch stroked me.
“Good morning!” the new human said. I thought the words were kind. He lifted me off the ground and tucked me into a soft place next to his beating heart. I felt warm. I peeked out from the jacket and bounced to the rhythm of his walk.
We finally walked into a little house. The human pulled me out of the jacket, sat me on the kitchen floor, and opened a can of food. I wiggled with excitement. My insides felt warm from the welcome food. I drank the water he put down too.
The new human made those funny, kind sounds. “Hey buddy! It’s going to be hard to find out who you belong to since you don’t have any identification!”
I wagged my tail really, really fast! Is this my new home?
Just then, I heard a scary sound. “HHHHIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSsssss.” My body tingled with fear… What was that sound?
© Woof and Me
Watch for more of Barkley’s Blessings…