I sat by the sidewalk-drenched, dripping and cold. I was alone; alone in a human's world. Countless humans walked by me, some did not even lower their gaze to see what they thought was a lower being. I had been alone since my mother was killed by one of their kind. He drove right over her with the things that raced on the roads everyday. He hit her hard and blood spewed on the road. She was crossing it to fetch me and my two siblings food. The man who ran over her did not even give his misdeed a second glance. He rushed past our mother's body and past us orphaned puppies. I do not know if some humans saw us differently. A boy came along the sidewalk and saw my dead mother and then me and my two brothers huddled together. He seemed to call for his friends. I remember him petting me and touching my fur. I remember him pointing towards us and then on the road. He gave us something to eat and we clumsily fought our way through that dry powdery mass. As I managed to stand up and wag my tail, they went away- I tried stopping them. I barked. I did not want them to go. I liked humans like those being around. A few more people came our way and stopped to play. A girl came next, she seemed very happy to see us, she rushed towards us and grabbed me and my siblings in her hands. Then she saw my leg and made a face. It seemed something was troubling her. She bent down and kept me at my place, then petted me. She did not put down my brothers.They too tried to come back to me, but she clutched them tight. She took them to a man standing ahead. I could only watch. The two people then moved on, with my brothers . Even before I could start thinking about what she and that man were doing ,she had disappeared from my sight . Gone with the only ones left whom I could call family.I tried following them, but my legs would not carry me. I barked and barked and barked but they did not turn to see me. I knew I could not walk like other dogs, this inability of mine separated me from my family. I wept.
I wagged my tail at every passerby till no one came my way. Nobody seemed to like me. Nobody stopped.
Why did she not take me along?
I sat alone drenched and cold.
It was dark now, and all beings began to desert the streets. It started raining. I was trying to find a niche, some place to spend the dark night in. I wanted to go to my mother but they had taken her away. When I had tried to cuddle with her they had kicked me away.
I was scared for I could hear a distant howling. I knew there were other dogs here too. I feared them very much.
It was a sinking feeling. I was small and timid, I was hungry and freezing and I had nowhere to go.
I was roaming trying to find a place to tuck in when I saw another one of those humans. He looked sad, just like me.I could see it in his eyes. He was alone in the dark, in the rain just like I was. But I dare not go near him. I could not take any chances. He did not take any notice of me for a long time. He was arranging some stuff, I could see. There was a little discarded transparent thing some distance from him. It had tiny water droplets over it, but nothing went inside.I thought I had finally found a dry place to escape from the rain . So I sat in a corner and waited for him to leave. He stood up then and started walking away then suddenly he realized my presence.
He came towards me and I was so sacred, I could not even move. He petted me on my head then looked at my leg He touched it and then twisted it a little, I gave a little cry of pain and he immediately removed his hand.
He then picked me up. His touch felt just like my mother's caress.
He took me along, he dried me with a dirty cloth in his hand and then he took something out. It looked like the food mother used to fetch for us, just smelled and tasted better and less damp.
I was tired from the day's ordeal, so I don't remember when and how I dozed off. In the morning when I woke up, the man was still with me. He was carrying me with both hands and carrying something on his back. He took me to the very place he had met me yesterday.
As he sat down, and I began fearing the worst. Was he leaving me back ?
I did not want to go away. I liked him, he gave me food and petted me and gave me love. Thankfully he was not leaving me.
He unpacked a container and kept it on with some large thin board. I tried to chew it and that man gave me a pat on my head. It was not eatable, my bad. He then kept it at his side, slightly tilted. We sat there for a long time, many humans passed by. Some would lower down and throw something in the vessel that was kept in front of us. It would make a jingling sound. A few of them would go on to throw stuff to eat at me.
I spotted a dog then, with some thing on his neck which was held by a lady. He looked healthy and happy, he walked with that woman joyfully. I could not really comprehend this relationship.They certainly were not family. Could they be friends?
My curiosity made me walk towards the dog. The woman along shooed me away. I came back to the man and he gave me a loving pat.
How was it that dog was so happy with that lady. She went with her where he took her. Was that lady that dog's human.
Is this man sitting beside me then my human?
Do all dogs have their humans?
Did my mother have one too?
Did she then got abandoned ?
What about other dogs like us who roamed on the streets.
Did they have their humans too?
That man shared everything with me. But he did not tie me up like that dog.
Did it still mean that he was mine?
A few days passed like this. I grew habitual to the man's schedule. I also learnt a few things.
One that the man sat everyday at that place to ask for some round shiny things and sometimes some thin paper stuff too.
Two that these thing were necessary for humans. I could see him trading these for food and water and at times temporary accommodation.
Three I was different from other dogs, I walked differently. I could not walk straight like others belonging to my species. It then was not a childhood inability but a disability.
It was probably because of this that the girl who took my brothers did not take me. I had met the same desertion form many other humans but not from mine.
Yes I sure he was my human now and I was glad he was.
I also identified some sounds. One sound my human used to call me, it was-"Faith".
He also responded to me when I called. We became good friends, and yes I started calling him my human. He never tied me though. When he did not sit on the sidewalk, we played together. I remember him getting me a round thing to play with- he called it ball . It was playing with it. He threw it at me and I would catch it. I saw other dogs too playing this way, but I was not as swift as them.
I was growing bigger each day. I did not have a lot of fur like many other dogs. I had a little tail and very soon I had a well built body too.
I would meet many humans who would pet me or play with me. There were some others who were were especially scared of me and would run away.I did not see them running away from other dogs. I was not a very aggressive dog but sometimes I did when I thought me or my human were at threat. Whenever I did get angry my human would calm me down and I always listened to him. I started to become very protective for him for I could see he was often bullied.
One day I saw a man came and shouted on him and then he started pushing him . I leapt up that man and ripped off a piece of his cloth. I would have ripped of his flesh too when my human called me back. I did not bite him but I barked very loudly at him. I warned the man, and he went away.
My human took great care of me. He would brush me everyday, even though I had very short hair. He would clean my face thoroughly each day. He took me to walks where I could urinate and excrete.
One day I remember our day took on a different course. My human and I walked to a huge building. He did not carry me now. I liked to walk on my own. Although I was a little slow I was getting better at it.
He then did something unusual, he tied me on a pole outside the building. He had never tied me before. He took out a few papers from what he called a 'bag' and arranged hem. I remember he looked very clean that day. He had shaved off his hair on his face also and cut the ones on his head.
He then went inside, leaving me behind. I was c apable of untying myself.I had grown strong enough by then but I did not. My human seeing me uncomfortable returned and petted me on my head and then he went back. I was a little frightened for a moment a childhood terror of loneliness struck me back, but I was sure he would come back soon.
I sat impatiently were I had been asked to .He did come back and I could immediately see he was smiling. His face reflected sheer joy and ecstasy . I had never seen him this happy ever before. He came running towards me and kissed me on my forehead. I did not know what made him so happy but his happiness made me happy too. A tear trickled from his eye onto me , I licked his face. He then gave me his biggest grin ever. He released me then and we went to a different place. We ate heartily that day, I remember.
The next day we went to another place. It had a large park and I wanted to jump right in and play on that beautiful grass. There was another dog there. He was wearing something on his back. The dog welcomed me after a little inspection and sniffing. While I played with my new canine friend, my human talked to a man.
That day was to change my life.
Years later, I could walk properly. I had to go thorough a lot for this recovery. My human took me to various places. My leg was inspected and treated by various other humans. It was a little painful but my human was always by my side. We had some time before come to live in a different place. It was far more comfortable than any other place I had lived at. It had a roof, it had what my human called a bed. It also had a thing I really liked and still like something people call a television. It was fun to watch. In this place we were never cold. Every morning my human would go somewhere sitting in one of those things which raced the roads. I would also sit in it. The ride was so much fun. This thing though came much later to us. I would be taken to the same place I had visited years ago and make occasional trips to a place where a very sweet woman would treat my leg. She would give me treats too. Even when I had my leg treated I required a lot of practice to be able to walk properly. I walked a little more each day than I did the day before.
Another year went by and now I had even more to life. I could now be with my human all day long .I was made to wear something on my back each day. I was trained hard for the job I was to do. I was taught to understand and undertake all my human's commands. I was taught to work with other humans. These too like my human loved me and I too enjoyed their company.
Whenever I faced new challenges in my new life my human stood beside me. I would work very hard each day for him.
He taught me to sniff and identify smells which I did happily for the rest of my life.