The Dog

    There once was a boy who was raised as a dog.  He was born a human child, but his parents treated him like the most beautiful dog that had ever lived.  He was kept in a dog house, fed dog food, walked like a dog, groomed like a dog, talked to as a dog and pet like a dog. 
    At his 25th birthday party a family friend unaware of the child’s upbringing spoke to him as a human for the first time.  The boy’s life came crashing down around him. The veil was lifted.  He saw himself for what he was: a human who had for 25 years desperately tried to be the most beautiful dog that had ever lived. 
     A few weeks later his family asked him what he wanted and he quickly cried out, “Let me be your beautiful dog forever.  I will bark, I will play, I will rollover.  Please, let me be your beautiful dog!”