Missing? No, I Knew Where I Was

( A Story Told From A Dog’s Point Of View )

( Intermediate Level )

” It was Monday morning and Mom had to go to work. Nothing out of the ordinary. She usually gets up early to go through her emails and allows me time to play with her. I admit I can be quite demanding when it comes to having her undivided attention. I throw my toy, of choice, at her feet, picking it up and dropping it over and over until she pays attention to me.”

Let me not get too far ahead of myself. Let’s start from the beginning. See, I came into her life just before things went crazy in the world and we had strict measures to stay home. My siblings were adopted before me. Many overlooked me sitting in the cage, I guess because I was ninety-nine percent black”

“My brothers and sisters were tri-colored. White with black, and brown patches evenly dispersed over their bodies. I heard people saying they couldn’t decide which of my siblings to pick since they were all so cute.”

“A friend told mom about me and she didn’t hesitate. She told her to go get me. From the moment I came to live with her, I was lavished with love, treats, and toys. Any dog’s dream. This may be is why I wasn’t picked by others. I was destined to be hers. She is my person.”

“While working from home allowed her all the time in the world to be with me, I still was a puppy needing my beauty sleep.”

“This was my life, eating, sleeping, and playing for a year and a half then everything changed. Restrictions finally eased and people returned to their work, including Mom. I surely was not prepared for this. This, as I want to call it, is abandonment.”

“When the day came for her to return to work, I am not sure who was more upset. Me or her. I remember turning my head and thinking, You are what? Where do you think you are going? And without me. This is unacceptable.”

She reassured me she would be back at lunchtime. I was given a few treats, and she rubbed my head, and said goodbye. I watched the door close behind her and I waited, watching the door until she came home. The time moved slowly. Tick. Tick. Tick.”

“She came home and all was forgiven. She hugged me and told me what a good girl I had been. This situation wasn’t bad. Treats before she leaves and hugs for me once she returns. Hmm, I can accept this, for a while.”

Weekends were supposed to be entirely mine but she had her online work to do. I reminded her frequently that I was there and I needed her attention. She’d stop what she was doing, to shower me with her love.”

“We still have this same routine to this day but every now and then I like to spice things up. I may take all of the stuffing out of a toy or harass the parrots, which were minding their own business, I must add, or have insane zoomies around the apartment. Somehow she tolerates me when I do these things. ”

“The next thing I did I regret. Mom was in complete panic. Every day when my person comes home I greet her with my wagging tail and jump around letting her know I was glad she was home. This is my way of showing her how much she was missed. Recently I chose not to greet her in the usual way. I discovered a great hiding place. The wardrobe. The only problem, I soon realized, was once I got myself in there I couldn’t get out.”

Let me tell you what I did. She came home at lunchtime, and I heard the keys rattling at the door. She opened the door and it was completely silent. I wasn’t there to greet her.”

I knew she had to be looking around for me. I heard my name several times. I chose to stay silent. This was the wrong thing for me to do.”

“I could hear her moving about the studio calling my name. I imagine she had looked under the bed, in the bathroom, and in a lot of my usual spots. Then I heard the door close once again. Her voice calls my name and fades into the distance. Knocks on the neighbor’s doors could be heard asking if they had seen her dog. “

“She returned. Now what? I needed her to know where I was since. I couldn’t push the door open to get out. I heard my name again. This time I let out a whimper. She heard me and said my name again. I whimpered a little louder.”

“She followed my voice and found me. Immediately she picked me up and told me how scared she was thinking I was lost then asked how I got in there. This will be my secret. I will let her imagination try to figure it out.”

“I felt guilty. This prank caused my mom to worry so now I greet her in the usual way. Tail wagging then jumping onto her lap.’

“As she works on the computer I simply look over her shoulder staying close so she knows I am not lost. Maybe, one day in the future, I will do something mischievous again but for now, I will stay by her side.

Written By: Angel

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Dogs are special creatures.

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Vocabulary:

Nothing out of the ordinary idiom: nothing special or unusual

demanding – adjective: insistent

strict measures – adjective: adhering closely to specified rules

overlooked – verb: failed to notice

dispersed – verb: scattered

hesitate – verb: pause

lavished – verb: give freely

destined – adjective: certainty

restrictions – noun: limitations

eased – verb: relieve, alleviate

abandonment – noun: stranded, neglect

reassured – verb: say or do something to remove the doubts or fears

entirely – adverb: completely

frequently – adverb: regularly

spice things up – phrasal verb: add excitement or interest 

insane – adjective: crazy

tolerates – verb: accept, allow

panic – noun: fear

rattling – adjective: knocking or clinking sounds

whimper – verb: whine, cry

prank – noun: trick

mischievous – adjective: naughty

Question ( s ):

Have you ever owned a pet and spoiled them?

A Dog’s Love

( Intermediate Level )

There is something special no one can explain about a dog’s love for its human. They pick their person and are theirs forever.

Joey, as many people called him, lived on the streets and survived on the handouts given by passersby.

He would sit for hours just watching people. Never barking. Never causing trouble. It was as if he was looking. Looking for that special someone.

The butcher on Elm Street always had special treats for Joey. Handing him scraps from the meats he cut. Joey seemed to show up like clockwork every day around the same time.

“What a handsome boy you are. Are you here for your treats?” Joey would sit patiently as the butcher came to him.

Wagging his tail and staring into his eyes as if to show how much he appreciated this snack. He would gobble up the scraps, bark then head off to wander the streets.

Joey wasn’t anything unique. He was burnt orange and white with a few battle scars from other bigger and meaner dogs on the streets.

If you hadn’t had the opportunity to encounter Joey and his kindness you surely would pass him by.

What people didn’t know was his intelligence. How he seemed to interpret if someone needed help. Once he knew Miss Margaret needed help in crossing the road .She stood at the crosswalk for what seemed ten minutes.

Joey was watching from the bottom of the steps at her apartment building. He sprang into action and ran into the street standing in the middle barking at all cars that approached.

Eventually the cars stopped and Margaret was able to walk across safely. She stopped briefly to pat him on his head. “Thank you Joey. You are a good boy.”

That night Miss Margaret had a treat for his good deed. She had stopped to buy him a rawhide chew which he seemed to enjoy.

Days turned into weeks then into months and Joey still looked for his forever human. You could see him by the busiest supermarket in town or the town park. He would sit for hours just looking at everyone.

It was a late Sunday afternoon and six year old Stan Miller came out of the store with his mom. Joey’s attention focused on this little boy. He was shy and stood close behind his mom.

He approached the two carefully. Stan smiled from behind his mom. He slipped down and patted Joey’s head. Stan was all smiles. “Mommy, look.”

His mom looked down quickly, “That’s Joey. He belongs to the city.” Stan looked up with a frown on his face. “He doesn’t have a mommy or a daddy?”

As far as I know he never had owners. People are kind and they make sure he has food and shelter on those rainy days,” Mom said as they entered their car.

Joey sat staring down the street as they drove away in their car. He wandered off to the butcher’s to see what tasty morsels were on the menu today.

Something odd happened the next day. Joey had found his way to the school’s gate waiting for Stan. A place where he never went before.

Out of the hundreds of children who attended , he was looking for just one. Stan. After a year and a half on the streets had Joey picked out his human? Something drew him there.

These encounters happened everyday for about a month. Joey showed up at the end of school. He waited until he saw Stan, got his pat on the head then left as his mother showed up.

Stan would tell his Mom, “Joey came to see me today.” His Mom would smile and say, “Seems he rather likes you.” “He comes everyday, Mom,” Stan said, beaming from ear to ear.

On the twenty sixth Stan’s mom headed to school a little later than she usually did to pick him up. She was caught behind a traffic accident and all traffic came to a standstill.

She was frantic knowing her son would be alone waiting for her . There was nothing she could do until the police officers pulled the cars involved off the streets.

More than forty five minutes had passed and she was able to travel on towards the school. She knew her son would be terribly upset because she was late.

To her surprise, as she pulled up in front of the school, she was relieved. There stood Stan and his new companion Joey. He was there with him the whole time.

As she got out of the car she apologized to Stan and bent over as she approached Joey. “Thank you boy for watching over Stan.” as she gave him a pat.

“I wasn’t scared Mommy. Joey was here with me. I knew nothing bad would happen.” Joey stood up as Stan opened the car door. He wagged his tail and started to head off.

Stan looked at his mom then at Joey again. She knew what he was wanting. “Joey. Joey. Come here boy.” Joey stopped and looked back.

He turned and headed back to them. As he approached the car she opened the back door. “Joey, you want to come home with us? Without hesitation, he jumped into the back seat. You didn’t have to ask him twice.

Stan was in the car by then and gave Joey the biggest hug .”You have a forever home now boy.”

Written By: Angel

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Thoughts From Angel:

What kind of person would I be if I didn’t share pictures of my “Joey?” Meet my Bella. I am her human. She has brought so much happiness into my life.

I can’t imagine life without her now. When I arrive home from a busy day she greets me then sits and waits . She watches and seems to know if I had a good day or bad then acts accordingly.

Animals are amazing creatures and bring so much joy to your life.

If you appreciate what I do:

Vocabulary:

passersby – noun: a person who happens to be going past something

butcher – noun: a person who cuts up and selling meat in a store or shop

patiently – adverb: tolerance of delays

staring – verb: look at someone or something with one’s eyes wide open

gobble up – phrasal verb: to eat something in a hurry

intelligence – noun: the ability to apply knowledge and skills

interpret – verb: to explain or have knowledge of the meaning

sprang – verb: move or jump quickly

deed – noun: an intentional act

focused – verb: pay attention to

frown – noun: a facial expression showing disapproval

morsels – noun: a small piece of food

drew – verb: to cause to move in a particular direction

beaming from ear to ear – idiom: to smile happily

standstill – noun: no movement or activity

frantic – adjective: distraught with fear

wagged – verb: (animal’s tail) movement side to side

hesitation – noun: pausing

Question ( s ):

Do you have a pet?

Do you have many homeless dogs or cats on the streets in your city?

Does your city or country have no kill shelters?