Page 134 of Three Not-So-Little Words
Instead of trying to push him, I take a seat on the floor on the opposite wall. Pulling a couple of small treats out of my pocket, I line them in a trail between him and I.
It takes a minute, but soon enough, he starts to sniff. He stretches his head as far as it can go without moving his body and is able to snag the first treat into his mouth. He’s not going to get that lucky with the other ones, though. They’re a little further away, so he’s going to have to work for them.
His big brown eyes dart from me to the treat and back again. I don’t make any sudden movements and try to keep him calm.
Finally, he works up his nerve and starts to move toward me the slightest bit. When he reaches the next treat, he lays back down as he eats it.
I look him over and see that there are some scars on his right ear. I’m guessing maybe bites from another dog. I wonder if before this, he was made to fight or something. God, I hope not. Just the thought of that gets my blood boiling.
I don’t know what it was, but something has clearly happened to this sweet boy. He’s scared half to death to even get close to me even when I have food in my hands.
I watch as he slowly moves from one treat to the next–the whole time looking at me as though he is unsure if I am friend or foe. As he’s trying to decide his next move, I look up at his rap sheet that hangs from a string on the door.
Name: Arlo
Age: Unsure but probably between two and three years old.
Potty trained: Unknown.
Good with kids: Unknown.
Good with other animals: Unknown.
Notes: Arlo is extremely skittish and unsure of his surroundings. He needs someone who has an extreme amount of patience and is willing to be his safe space.
I look back at him, and his big eyes meet mine. It’s the first time he hasn’t immediately looked away. I don’t move but instead let him decide what he wants to do.
He finally looks away, and I think I’ve lost him again. I decide to stay in here a while longer to try to get him to come around. He’s my last stop for the day, and I have nowhere else to be, so why not? Sometimes, people just need a friend–dogs too.
I lean my head back against the cement wall and get lost in my own thoughts for a few minutes. I got up at the ass crack of dawn this morning. I’m so tired I feel like I could fall asleep right here and now. Probably not a good idea. Arlo may eat me.
I have no idea how much time has passed when I feel a cold nose sniffing my hand. Slowly, I open my eyes and look down tosee Arlo at my side. I try not to move or even breathe that heavy so that I don’t scare him off.
In a quiet voice, I say, “Hi there, Arlo.”
He looks up at me, and his tail gives a single wag.
“You’re a good boy, aren’t you?”
Another wag.
I bring my other hand over gently and let him sniff it. Once he seems satisfied, I start petting him. His entire body stiffens, but it doesn’t take him long to relax.
He looks up at me with his tail now wagging at a little bit of a quicker pace. I hold out my hand to see if he will put his paw in it. Without warning, instead of giving me a paw, he leaps into my lap. I look down at the dog who is now curled up in a ball on top of me.
“Aw, look at you,” I say. “You’re just so cute! You just need someone to take the time to love you, don’t you?”
Carlos peeks his head over the door of the stall, and his eyes go wide. “Wow, Arlo has never done that with anyone before.”
“He just needed someone to take it slow, I guess.”
“Looks like you’ve found yourself a new dog.”
“Oh,” I stammer. “I just came in to help. I didn’t really come in here looking for a dog.”
“Sometimes, the person doesn’t find the dog. The dog finds the person.”
I’ve never put much thought into getting a dog. I love dogs, but I’ve never been home enough to put in the time and effort needed to properly take care of a dog. It wouldn’t be fair to them. But now, I guess that’s not an issue anymore. I won’t be traveling nearly as much, and I will be home quite a bit. Plus, maybe when Idotravel, Drew and Colton can look after him for me. Should I be committing to that without talking to them? Probably not. But if Drew didn’t want to, I’m sure I could convince Dylan to do it. He’s a softie for dogs.
