The Taken Dog

A dog journeys through life in what could be a horrible fate.

It was a bright day, full of hope. The dog scampered out of the yard and across the street, his eyes filled with wonder and excitement. It was the beginning of a new day and he was free.

 

On this particular day, he ventured farther than normal, and came upon a park. He sniffed around happily, looking for adventure.

 

A kind man noticed the dog and offered him a treat. The dog happily ate it. The man threw a ball for him and they played fetch together. The man gave the dog a scratch behind the ears, then under his belly, and the dog kicked his leg in pleasure. The man beckoned the dog to follow him, so the dog followed him all the way home.

 

The man welcomed the dog into his backyard, locking the gate behind him. It made the dog feel uneasy at first, but there was food, water, toys and a place to sleep. It was all he had hoped for.

 

The dog and the man were happy living together. They played with each other and enjoyed each other’s company.

 

Every day, during the daytime, the man would go out and the dog would be left alone. One day, the dog decided to jump the fence and go on an adventure. When he returned at night, the man was waiting for him. He was very angry. He scolded the dog with nasty words and struck him several times on his head with the palm of his hand. He threw the dog into the backyard and locked the gate. They did not play together that day or the next.

 

When the next day dawned, the dog wanted to go out again to adventure, but the gate was locked. Instinctively, he considered jumping the fence, but then he remembered being scolded and decided not to.

 

For each subsequent day that passed, the man added new planks to the fence, building it higher and higher, until it was no longer possible to jump over it.

 

The man fed the dog each day and after some time, their wounds had healed and they remembered how fun it was to play together. So once again, they did so. The dog felt at peace. He felt a sense of belonging, that everything would be okay.

 

One day, while playing, things got a little rough. Unintentionally, the dog bit the man’s hand while playing fetch. The man’s mood flipped in an instant, and he immediately struck the dog. The dog skulked away to his kennel, but the man followed him with a flurry of enraged kicks. Once again, they did not play together for the rest of that day or the next.

 

Over time, this cycle continued, and the dog came to live in fear of his master. When times were good, they would play, and he was happy. However, he was always wary of his master’s rage, which was constantly on a knife’s edge, and tried his best not to provoke him.

 

The dog thought about leaving many times, sometimes attempting to do so by digging under the fence, but he was never successful. As time carried on, he resigned himself to this life and accepted that it would always be like this. It was not so bad, he thought, and certainly, things could be worse.

 

But things did get worse. Over time, the man’s rage became more frequent and more easily triggered, and the beatings escalated. The dog, who was once full of wonder and excitement, now lived in a state of quiet sadness and fear. He second guessed almost everything he did - every bark, every lick, every action - for fear of enraging his master.

 

Until one day, while being attacked, he yelped so loudly that the neighbours heard him.

 

Hiding in his kennel the next day, he heard a loud rapping at the door. He knew no one would answer because his master always went out during the day. His ears pricked up when he heard the rusty gate creaking open. He heard footsteps pitter-pattering around on the brick groundwork as he cautiously lay still.

 

The footsteps came right up to the kennel until he heard soft, calm voices, beckoning for him to come out. He didn’t want to, but the voices persisted. He was scared of what his master might do to him. Hands came out of nowhere offering delicious treats, which he ate instinctively. The dog eventually came out of the kennel.

 

The strangers encouraged him to walk out of the gate, but the dog was paralysed with fear. He didn’t want to. He thought about what might happen to him. It would be easier to just stay in the backyard with his master. However, the strangers did not give up. They seemed to have done this before and knew exactly what to do to gain the dog’s trust.

 

The dog slowly and cautiously stepped to the threshold of the gate, then stopped. He turned his head around and took a long look behind him at the backyard. All the memories of the past few years - both good and bad - filled him with emotions. He paused for a long time.

 

Out on the street, the strangers kept beckoning him to come with them. He looked forwards to the outside world and at that moment felt a small glimmer of hope, excitement and freedom creeping in.

 

He followed his saviours out of the gate and never went back.

Author's Note

Please send me your thoughts, suggestions and interpretations

Reviews

[John Alexander McFadyen]

This could be a metaphor for domestic violence. It is indeed a sad tale that shows the cycle and the complexities involved as both kindness and brutality co-exist in man. This can cause confusion and guilt in one subjected to it. Life is complex! A well written tale.

[M]

Brilliant insight John, thank you.