Rough Loss

I lost my partner, my world, and my hope, my future is unsure and dark. My Name is Dakota and I live in a cruel world, the nights are cold and the days too hot. I used to spend most of my time waiting for my love. She and I were inseparable, walking on the beach, and through the park, long car rides for no reason. Often, I would lay my head on her lap, and she would stroke my dark hair. When we met, it was love at first sight; she immediately took me to her home. The world just melted away when we were together. She was tall and strong, and made the best food. We had steak, chicken, and duck, and sometimes fish. I loved her cooking, I loved everything about her, and waiting for her to come home, every day, was exhausting. After a little bit, she gave me a necklace of leather with a heart shaped locket. I liked the sound it made when the locket tapped against the metal ring on the leather. I never took it off, I'm not sure how long we were together, before she was out of my life.

We were walking through the park when strangers approached, they were dangerous. I yelled at them, to no avail. I tried to fight them off! There were too many and before I even knew what happened, she was laying on the ground. She didn’t move, I nudged her, I looked around for help and there was no one. No response. I ran, I ran because I was scared, because I didn’t know what to do, I ran, and I ran until I didn’t know where I was. Or where home was.

I could have never predicted the nightmare my life would have become. I ate out of trash cans for every meal, everyone around me was absolutely terrifying, and I slept in an alley. I begged nice looking, wealthy people for help, and they turned their noses up at me. Sometimes, they even threw things at me! What world did I live in, where people were so cruel? I was homeless, and dirty, my skin started to itch, and my dark hair became matted.

One day I was scrounging in an alley, when a group of strangers surrounded me. They had poles and I was afraid. I tried to run away, but one of the men caught me. He shoved me to the ground, and wrapped something around my neck. I twisted and struggled, tried to run, but the cord around my neck kept me attached to them. I called out, but no one came to help me! Everyone just watched me get taken away. They shoved me into a cage on a truck, and hauled me off to their prison.

Upon arriving, they ushered me into my cell. It was small and had only a towel for any kind of bed. The food was nothing, compared to what my love would make for me. This food was a soggy mash of who knows what. The taste was not horrible, but I wished I was not here, at all, eating this food in this cage. What was my fate, what did these people want with me? What were they going to do with me? Should I be doing something?

How long had I been there before a new person entered my life?

I don't know... it could have been days? Months, even!

One of the people in this prison came, and gave me some extra scraps of food. When she first offered them to me I was afraid, and wouldn't take it. Why was she being nice? Was this poison, or harmful, in some way? I had know idea, and had no way of changing that, for now.

She came back day after day offering me extra food while I endured injections, and cold “baths.” They hosed me down and shaved my, once beautiful, dark hair.

She still came. I began to trust her, but I could not get the question out of my mind: Will I be here forever? After what felt like an eternity, my captors started letting me outside into a gated area. Only the woman who gave me extra scraps of food would be with me. I could see others in their cages and could hear them cry at night. How many of us were here? I did not know.

I got comfortable in my captivity. Twice a day I could go outside, I got food twice a day and there had not been more shavings or shots, for some time now . Maybe this future, here, would not be so bad. I did wonder if I would ever be able to accept that there would be no more long drives, no more laying my head in a lap to be comforted. I guessed I would just have to accept this as my fate, a future not as good as with my love, but not as horrible as being homeless in the world. I was used to my routine, day in and day out, but today was different! Today, she came to see me early. “She never comes before breakfast,” I thought. Today she took me out of my cage, she stooped down beside me and asked, “Are you ready to go to your new home?” She removed the locket from my leather necklace, and put a clover metal charm in its place.

I wagged my tail... I knew my future would no longer be dystopian.