A Dogs Life

A Dogs Life

The summer was sweltering, they said there was a heat wave but we all knew it was global warming kicking in. I was so excited I’d always wanted a pet. Before I had two gerbils, but you can’t hug a gerbil and a gerbil certainly can’t fetch. The only downside was not going abroad anymore and picking up his bowel movements. Finally the car stopped and we got out. It seemed a strange place to get a dog, Tesco’s car park, but we were adopting a dog even though I’d begged for a puppy. Stepping out of the car, I suddenly felt really nervous. Thinking straight I realised that I didn’t have a clue to care for another animal. This would be a whole new experience for me, and my family. The golden retriever bounded out of the car opposite. He was a big dog if he stood on his hind legs he’d be as tall as me. His fur shone in the sun as he ran freely. After some long talks and passing of all of Louis’ (the dog) items we were back in the car home. Although I didn’t know it one of the happiest, painful and saddest years of my life had just started.
    Slowly the weeks went by. Everyday I walked Louis through the woods. My friends loved to come over and play with him as well. At first it felt like a chore but gradually I came to love walking Louis through the woods walking through the undergrowth as he galloped of into the distance. At the times when everyone was annoyed at Louis I felt sympathy, sure I had to clean up his droppings and he slobbered whenever he got nervous but I loved Louis like a brother. It was good to have Louis for company at the moment I was having problems adjusting to my high school. None of my friends had come to the same School as I did, and making friends was hard. By now the weather was turning icy. Christmas looming over everyone and I had to start saving. It was only a week till guy fawkes (british firework celebration) and the fireworks had already begun going off. Now that I owned a dog I understood how hard it was for them as the explosions sounded and the lights flashed Louis would go insane barking and jumping around. The evenings had become really dark and the weather was atrocious. Taking Louis out in the rain and wind was hard work and the cold chilled me to the bone.
    Now that bonfire night was over more fireworks seemed to go off than before and I let Louis sleep in my room so he had company then I’d go to my window and watch the fireworks spin and explode across the skyline.
    The school day had been rough the rain hadn’t helped and the pile homework waiting for me when I got home just made it worse. My Mum had warned me to be careful playing with Louis as he could get rough. This time I’d taken it to far. At first I had been wiping his paws but I’d started to tease him with the towel then I wrapped it over his head. When he ripped it off I hadn’t been ready.
    For a second I didn’t feel the pain the world had stopped and my body couldn’t register what had happened. My eyes were wide with shock and the blood was suddenly everywhere. I was rushed into the kitchen but there was too much blood. The cut was huge and I knew we’d have to go to the hospital. That night I had screamed so hard that my voice was hoarse. For that second looking in the mirror, the image was glued in my brain and it would never leave my head in a million years. The front of my lip had been  torn and almost ripped completely off, leaving a small flap of flesh holding on by a thread. For over a day after the metallic taste of blood didn’t leave my mouth. My school uniform was ruined blood covering all of it. The scar was a mess of dried blood stitches and flesh pulled across the empty hole in my face. All that time when I was in hospital I had been worried that I would lose Louis that when I returned home I wouldn’t let him out of my sight.
    Christmas had jumped out at me this year. Almost out of money and still with a load of presents to buy, I tried to focus on the present, get on with my school work and worry about Christmas the day before like I did with my homework. Hoping that my scar wasn’t very noticeable I kept my head down but the looks people gave me in the corridor and in class weren’t encouraging. Eventually over the next few weeks’ things returned to normal, my scar became less prominent and life was almost the same as it was before the accident, almost. We’d just broken up for half term and I invited all of my old friends from Lakeside to a sleepover at my house. We gradually made ourselves insanely hyper, played video games and watched films. It was about three o’clock and we turned out all the lights except the Christmas ones and began to talk about everything that had happened recently. Then came the question.
    “Gareth how can you be okay with Louis still being around?” Will began. I’d noticed that my friends had been a little edgy when Louis got close and unusually wary off him but that was to be expected. “ I mean aren’t you afraid he’ll hurt you again?”
    “I can’t believe you can ask me that! I love Louis and I take full responsibility for this!” I yelled pointing at my scar. “If you think he’s a monster then your as shallow as a puddle! I love Louis like a human being. Knowing that I could get hurt again is worth the risk. Just having him around makes my life ten times better!” I stormed out of the living room taking my bedclothes with me. I quickly went into the kitchen and huddled over Louis’ basket. I stroked his soft fur and he looked up at me with his two dark brown eyes. “I’ll never leave you Louis.” I whispered in his ear. I walked up the stairs into my room and left my friends below. In the morning they apologised and everything went on as normal but what they’d said had hurt and I suddenly realised that I must be the only person who didn’t feel that way.
    Christmas eve was here and I was so excited. I had so much energy that I was almost ricocheting of the walls. To use some of the rogue energy that was coursing through me I took Louis out for a long walk. The morning was dark and cold. Frost had zigzagged across the ground. Struggling to move in the number of layers of clothes I was wearing we walked into the forest. Leaves crunched under my feet and the call of a lonely robin lost in the maze of trees and leaves caught my ear. Clouds of mist billowed from my mouth as I walked. Louis had galloped of but I didn’t need to worry he always found me. Walking slowly in a circle around the field I looked at all of the houses and they’re various decorations. Louis exploded out of some bushes and sprinted flat out across the grass before jumping high into the air and diving headfirst. Half coughing half laughing I clipped his lead onto his collar and we walked home.
    Six o’clock, I’d barely got a wink of sleep all night but who does on Christmas? After another hour of waiting the rest of my family got out of bed and we began to tear through parcels and empty our stockings even Louis had a small pile of presents. The day past with a trip to church and huge, delicious Christmas dinner, before finally going to sleep.
    Once again the fireworks started banging. About a week ago they had started to celebrate new years and suddenly the year started to rush madly the heat of exams started and unbearable amounts of revision took up most of my time Making friends seemed easier now, the hate of the exams seemed to unite us. There was barely any time for me to take Louis for walks or to play with him in the garden. My Birthday had gone so fast it barely seemed to happen. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. It was almost exam time and there was a lot of pressure on us. One morning I was playing with Louis in the garden, I’d thrown the ball and pray that he’ d fetch it for once. Giving me a look that said in two words no way! Louis sat there thumping his tail on the ground staring at the treat in my pocket. So I picked up the ball and bounced it on his head see if I could knock any sense through his thick skull. Too late I saw the look etched on his hairy features. Lips pulled back in an angry snarl to show two rows of dagger sharp teeth. He scrunched up his eyes so they were small and dark and then it happened. Blood exploded from my hand. The feeling of teeth sinking into my flesh made me feel sick. A scream echoed across the nearby houses.
    Four days passed in hospital operations, pain and non-stop nausea was all I experienced for those days. All I wanted to do was go home and wash the expression on Louis face out of my brain. That was when I got the news. Louis was being taken away from us. I was dumbstruck. “You can’t!” I shouted but it was too late that’s how it works with grownups no matter what they say its already decided. After a couple of days, maybe a litre of tears, a few days without sleep and a final tearful goodbye before my life was back to normal. It was like Louis had never been there but truthfully I believe that Louis has changed my life for the better.

Once I made a promise to you Louis that I'd never let anyone take you away and that I'd always keep you safe. If I'd kept them my life would be different