03/06/2024
A middle-aged woman peeks into his kennel. She smiles. He wags his tail. Maybe she will adopt him, he’s thinking.
Then she walks away.
Par for the course. Everyone who peeks into his kennel usually walks away. Nobody wants an old dog. At this shelter, everyone adopts young dogs who can’t control their bladders. Humans want puppies. Not geriatrics.
If only humans could understand canine language, he would’ve told the lady all about himself and what a good boy he is. It’s a shame that humans don’t speak Dog.
He’s not sure how he ended up in this place. Once he had a family. But they didn’t want him. So they left him here. He waited for them to come back, staring out his kennel door. But his owners were done with him.
That was a lifetime ago. Since then, he’s been stuck in this loud room of kennels with dogs who cry all day long.
He’s overheard the humans’ remarks about him. “How old is that dog?” they ask, pointing at him. “He looks kind of gray.” “Mommy, I don’t want an old dog.” “Poor old guy, nobody’s gonna want an elderly dog.”
Elderly. Who would want an elderly dog? The worst part is, it’s been so long since he’s been touched. When you’re a puppy everyone showers you with affection. They’re always touching you. But when you’re an old dog, they just ignore you.
He wishes he could tell the humans what a good dog he is, tell them about all his skills. Being old has its advantages. For starters, he can hold his bladder, he knows how to watch TV, he knows how to cuddle, how to be patient, he knows how to fend off dangerous UPS men.
But it doesn’t matter. This kennel is life now. He knows that one day he will be led to the back room with the doctor, like all the other old dogs. And that will be the end.
The door to his cellblock opens. The place comes unglued with barking dogs.
He can see a little girl. She’s cute. She looks around for a few minutes. Surprisingly, she stops in front of his cage.
She says, “What’s this one’s name?”
“We don’t know,” says the woman employee.
“You don’t know his name?”
“We get a lotta dogs without names, honey.”
The girl approaches his kennel. He doesn’t bother standing. Why waste his energy? You see one kid, you've seen them all. She’s not going to adopt him. She’ll end up adopting a rambunctious Labrador-mix.
The child reaches through the bars. “Come here, boy,” she says.
He doesn’t move. She seems sweet enough, sure, but he’s no dummy. This is the same old song and dance. They pet you. Then they figure out you’re an elderly dog, and they keep moving.
“Let’s go, sweetie,” says the girl’s mother. “Let’s go look at the puppies.”
“But I want to pet him.”
A long pause. The woman says, “But don’t you wanna see the younger dogs?”
“Please?”
The cage door opens. This gets his attention. Namely, because his cage door NEVER opens.
The little girl steps in. He’s on his feet now. He’s nervous. Panting. Heart beating fast. Who is this child and what does she want?
She reaches her hand outward. She comes close. She rests her palm on his forehead. The child rubs his fur. And she doesn’t just rub him, she hugs him.
“You’re not too old,” the girl whispers.
Before he realizes what’s happening, the employee places a leash on him and leads him out of the kennel. They are parading him down the aisle. He’s leaving this dreadful place.
Can it be? Is this for real? Or is this a cruel joke?
All the dogs are screaming as he walks by.
In a few minutes, it's official. The little girl signs a stack of papers then takes him home. She names him Jackson. She gives him a brand new world. She even lets him sleep in her bed.
It all happens so fast that it still seems like some kind of elaborate fantasy. Yesterday; death row. Today; Buckingham Palace.
Sometimes, late at night, when he sleeps beside her, he still can’t get over how beautiful his rescuer is. This girl who makes waking up each morning worthwhile.
This 10-year-old child, who makes him feel as though he had a purpose in the world. Who taught him how to appreciate being alive. Oh, if this kid only knew what she had done by choosing him. If only she knew that she had saved his life. If she knew the devotion he felt. If she only knew how much he loved her.
It really is a shame humans don’t speak Dog.
