It was a cold and dark morning when we went out the front lobby doors of the apartment complex. I could sense something was “up.” To my utter shock my mom handed me over to her sister while she got in another car that sped away,–without me. I went to another house while my mom went to the hospital for out patient surgery.
Now, I did have fun at where I went. I got to play, play, play with a little dog named Roxy. We had a blast out running in the fence in back yard. The snow was fresh and cold and it was just a great time. But in my heart of hearts I missed my mom and didn’t understand why we were apart. Later that day I got to go home and reunited with my mom. Boy, was I happy and so was she. We are not made to be apart. It is difficult on both of us.
The next day one of my mom’s friend came over. She ask my mom if she could take me for a walk. I like walks. So I left my mom and go with her friend. We walk and walk and then I saw the car parked out in the road. We walk over there and my mom’s friend opened up the door, dropped the leash and said “load up!” Not on your life! In a split second I took off towards home, through the woods and across the parking lot. I zoom up to the apartment complex double doors and bark to let my mom know a “dognapping was in progress” and I was the dog who didn’t want to be “napped.!”I wasn’t going to leave my mom again. My mom’s friend drove up and parked and let me in. I was sooooo glad to be home. (Turns out my mom’s friend was just moving her car from the road to the parking lot but how’s a dog to know?)s
The saying is “there’s no place like home.” Home for this Service Dog is not a certain building. Home is with my person, wherever she is -that’s Home to me. No matter where I am in this world, I am not Home unless I am by my Master’s feet. There’s no place like Home!
Shadow's Short Tales 