Looking at the world through the eyes of a dog. |
Looking through the eyes of man's best friend. When I was born, I was the last one out of my four other siblings. We all kinda looked the same, brown with black feet. It was funny to me though, to see such a sight as we all looked the same, until I looked down and saw that I did not have black feet. I had white feet. Despite the fact that I was different, my mother loved me the most. Together we would spend our days talking and laughing, and some days even wrestling. My momma would always be gentle with me. She always told me that I was small, but she loved me ten times more. That always use to sound like a big number to me, but I know that my momma always loved me so much more no matter what. My brothers and sisters and I all grew up together, happy and energetic as usual. They knew that I was the smallest of the family, but they loved me anyway. They somehow managed to look beyond the funny stuff about me. We would all play outside, get dirty in the mud, and then my momma's momma, which she called her master, would have to give us a bubble bath. My brothers and sisters never liked baths. They would be jumping around and sometimes cry about it, I didn't like baths either, but I always wanted to please my momma when she told us to do something. She told us to try to stand still and be good. I loved pleasing my momma, because it made her happy and proud. She always wore a smile when she looked at me. A special smile that she didn't even use on daddy. My momma always reminded me that I was the fastest one to grow. I had finally caught up with my brothers and sisters in size, and then a few weeks later, I had actually grown bigger with them. I was very proud too. Even momma's master was proud too. She would talk in a high voice that always made me laugh, and then she always use to tug on my ears, which sometimes hurt, but momma told me that it was just how masters pet us, so I tried my hardest to sit still and smile pretty. I always use to think that nothing could come between our family, until one day a big man and a nice, pretty girl came over and looked at me and my brothers and sisters. I didn't know why they were over. I had never seen them before. I tried to ask momma, but she wouldn't tell me anything. She would just spend her time sitting on the couch, with tears in her eyes. That is when I saw the man come to me and pick me up and bring me high off the ground and hold me right in front of his face. I heard him say that I was too small and that I would get sick. When the man talked I noticed that he had a funny smell to his breath and it made me kinda hungry, but then I got distracted from my hunger when the lady spoke saying that she thought I was cute and adorable, just the right size and not too small. I felt like I was on top of the clouds, but then they didn't put me down.I looked at my momma's master and watched the two people hand her that green fuzzy stuff that smells funny, but I liked chewing. Then they still didn't put me back down with my brothers and sisters. They didn't even let me talk to momma. They carried me outside and into a big box looking thing that had round things on the bottom that looked like huge chew toys. The people put me inside the box and then the whole thing started to move. I was scared and didn't know why or where they were taking me. A few minutes later, I looked outside and saw a big house. I thought that it must be the place where the people were taking me. The man and the lady got out of the big metal box, and then got me out too. Then I heard them tell me that this was my new home. Why was I here, this wasn't my home. My home was back with my momma and my brothers and sisters.I didn't know why they had taken me. It scared me a little bit, but I remembered that momma always told me to be brave. So I did. A few weeks went by at the new house and I realized that I loved my new masters. This is what I had dreamed of. I knew and promised myself that I would protect them and love them forever. My dream did come true, I went to stores, I went to parks and I met a whole lot of other people. I couldn't be happier. Then one day I was walking with my new mommy, or master, when someone bumped into her and knocked her down. I was mad and made it known to that man who knocked her down. I started to chase him and then grabbed his arm and threw it around. The man got loose and then ran away. I stood there for a moment and then ran back to my master who was standing up. I sniffed her and then licked her scratches. She was crying and shaking so I sat really close to her and rested my front paws and head on her. This made her calm down and smile. We finally made it back to the house okay. Over the next few days I didn't go on any more walks or play outside. I noticed that my masters were yelling at each other more and more. Then one day they put boxes inside their metal box that had the wheels, and then just left me there. I ran to the gate by the street and watched them leave. I didn't know why they just left me. What had I done wrong. Was I not good enough for them. Was I still too small. I couldn't understand why they left me. I went back inside and sat down on the couch. Maybe they were going somewhere and just coming back. Maybe they weren't leaving me behind. Wherever they were going, I didn't understand. Over the next few weeks I waited and waited for my masters to come back, but they never did. A few days after that, a man came wearing a funny blue uniform. He came and told me that I was a good dog and that I had to come with him. I knew that I shouldn't, but I was too weak to fight back. I hadn't had anything to eat or drink since my masters left me behind. So I went with the man. He took me to a place filled with other dogs that I later found out had either gotten left behind too, or lost. I was put inside a small enclosure that had a bowl of extra food and water for me. Over the next few days the amount of food became smaller. I still didn't know exactly where I was, but I knew that I was at least safe. People walked by looking at me smiling. I watched the other dogs jump around on the chain link doors and make the people laugh and smile. So I did the same thing. A few more days went by and then a little girl walked by, so I jumped up and barked really loud at her to say hello. She started to laugh and said that she wanted that one and pointed to me. I knew that she was now my new master. I was so happy to finally have a new one. My new master was named Molly. She put a piece of leather around my neck and said that my name was Kodak. I had a name now. I jumped up in her lap and licked her all over. She laughed and hugged me around the neck really tight. At night I got to sleep in her bed with her. This made me feel really loved. I had never known that a dog can sleep in their masters bed before. So I was really glad I got to. I also was there to comfort Molly when she had a bad dream or when she was scared to go to the bathroom because it was dark. I was the one who comforted her in anything that she needed. I liked things just the way they were. One night while Molly was sleeping, I smelled something really odd. I couldn't see a thing and then realized that it was a fire. I went downstairs and saw Molly's daddy outside yelling to try to get her out of the house from the window. I knew that it was my job to protect my master. So I ran upstairs and woke Molly up and then carried her downstairs on my back. I then realized that the door was blocked. There was no way out. I had to find a way out though. Anything to keep Molly safe. I ran around the house and then noticed that the back window was broken, so I went back to Molly and pulled her out through the window and around to the front gate, but it was locked. Then molly's dad saw us and ran and knocked the gate down and grabbed Molly and hugged her tight. I then remembered that Molly's mommy was still inside the house. Then Molly's daddy told me to go get her, so I ran back inside and found her lying on the ground coughing. So she grabbed hold of the thing around my neck and I led her outside like I did Molly. She made it outside just in time, but I got stuck on something inside. I couldn't get free. I tried my hardest to pull away, but I couldn't. Then the I saw the house begin to fall on top of me, and I got buried under the house. I was really scared, and I didn't know what to do. When the fires died down I could hear Molly crying and yelling my name. I tried to move but I couldn't. I felt a warm liquid under me that smelled weird. I couldn't do anything but lay there. Finally after what seemed like hours, the men in yellow and red suits, and scary masks and yellow hats, came and got me out of the trap, and set me on a soft white small bed. Then they put me inside a big red box with wheels, a loud horn and siren and then drove me to the doctor. On the way, they let Molly ride with me. She lied down next to me and cried, while holding on to my fur. I tried to move and see her face, but I was strapped down and too weak. I started to cry because I was hurting all over, and I did not like to be strapped down. I could hear Molly telling me that I was the bestest and goodest dog she ever had, and she also told me that I couldn't leave her. Leave her? I was not going to leave her. I couldn't. She was my master, I was the one who had to be strong. I was the one who needed to be there for her, so there was no way I was leaving, but as time grew on, it grew harder and harder to breathe and stay awake. We finally made it to the doctors. The doctor laid me onto a cold metal table, but did nothing with me. He whispered to Molly's dad that there is nothing he could do to save me. I managed to slowly look at Molly who was standing at the end of the table crying and holding my paw. She started to rub my face gently and then she cried harder and laid her face on top of mine. The doctor started to pull Molly away, but she started to yell and cry. Molly's dad picked her up and started walking away. I felt so hopeless. I could not do anything. I couldn't see Molly's face anymore. I could not go and get Molly back. I could no longer be there to protect her, to sleep with her and to comfort her when she has bad dreams. I was the one who needed to be there for her. She was my master, I couldn't leave her, and she can't leave me. Why was her daddy taking her away. I tried my hardest to get up, but the doctor held me down. I was getting mad and so I latched onto the doctors hand with all my might and then jumped down and ran after Molly. Molly saw me running toward her and then kicked herself out of her daddy's arms. She ran to me and threw her arms around me and hugged me tighter than she had ever hugged me. She told me that she loves me very much and that she is scared and wishes that I was all better. I could only sit there and lick her gently. I grew even weaker so I had to lay down. Molly laid there next to me on the floor. She then took my paws and wrapped them around her and then buried her face inside my neck and pleaded me not to leave. Don't leave me, she told me over and over. Molly's daddy came over and picked Molly up again. Like before, she started screaming and telling her daddy that she cant leave me. She has to make sure that I am okay. She also was saying that I needed her, which I did. She was my friend, as well as I was her friend. I was the dog that she had told all her deepest darkest secrets to. I then heard her saying something about how I understood her and how I knew everything about her and how she had no friends, but when she got me, things changed. She was also pleading her daddy to not let her leave me. Her daddy finally got her to stop screaming, which made me nervous because I could no longer hear her. The doctor came over and put me back up on the cold metal table and then tied me down. I tried to wiggle free, but it was too tight. I was real scared. I could not move. I then noticed that everything started to get blurry. I could no longer see the detail of things, only the general shape. What was happening? I tried to breathe and take it slowly, but my breathing grew quicker. Then the doctor put something sharp into me. I was suddenly consumed into an ominous, scary darkness. I could still slightly hear the things around me, but no longer see them. I heard Molly run to me again crying. She told me to come back and that she needs me. She told me that she had no one else and that I couldn't die, but I couldn't go back. It was too late though. Molly's daddy took Molly into his arms and held her. Molly sobbed in his arms repeating my name and everything she remembered about me. Her daddy put her down again after a few minutes and she walked over to me and started naming the memories. She said that she remembered when she first saw me, that I jumped up on the door of the cage and barked really loud. She knew right away that I was the right dog for her. She also said that she remember at night all the times where she would tell me how she felt and all the secrets she told me. She also said she remembered all the times we shared together playing, coloring, eating snacks, playing hide and go seek together. All the times with me were the bestest times she ever had. She told me that I was the worlds greatest friend and dog. She then reached over and grabbed the thing around my neck and held it close to her. Then slowly she walked out and looked back at me just before she left completely. I then could no longer hear anything. I left Molly and her dad for good. I still knew that I was going to a good place. The place that my real momma always use to talk about. The place called heaven. I am still up there today, and every once in a while I return to the memories I had with my favorite master, named Molly. I can still see her today, thinking of me and thinking of all the times we shared together. I will never forget my friend, my master. The one I got to comfort, the one I protected with my life. The one who named me Kodak. Word count: 2,872 |