“Want a treat, Dusty?”
I cocked my head to the side to see what Phillip offered. He picked up a small bag of wafer cookies. I eagerly nodded and rubbed my head against his leg while he opened the package. Phillip had fed me two vanilla wafer cookies before setting the rest of the package on the dresser. I went to my water bowl and drank a little more.
“Dusty, come here, boy,” Rich called from the doorway to the bathroom. He disappeared in the bathroom as soon as I headed over. I stopped in the doorway and watched him put a puppy pad down by the toilet. “If you wake up during the night and need to go, make sure you come in here and go on the pad, okay?”
I nodded and followed Rich to the bed. Phillip was already in bed, and when Rich climbed in next to him, he leaned over and kissed him. Rich patted the foot of the bed while Phillip invited me onto the bed.
“Come on, Dusty. It’s time to go to bed, boy.”
As I nestled in for the night at the foot of the bed, I felt like I not only belonged with Phillip and Rich, but that I was accepted. I was certain this would be a great weekend, and if I was lucky, I might be invited home with them. I was ready to be their forever friend.
* * *
I had beenwith Phillip and Rich all weekend long. We had an amazing time playing, and by Sunday afternoon, I really felt like our bond was strengthening. They hadn’t even so much as looked at another pup while I was around. I was sure they were happy with me.
People began checking out of the resort Sunday evening. Phillip and Rich still had to pack, so they walked me to the pound. They took me to my cubby, and both of them hugged and kissed me. And I, of course, nuzzled both of them.
“We’ll see you a little later, Dusty,” Phillip said as he closed my gate.
“Be a good boy while we’re gone, Dusty,” Rich instructed.
I nodded and showed them my “pay attention” pose again. I watched them walk down the aisle and heard Zack ask them how I had behaved.
“Dusty is the best. He’s so well behaved, and he really gets into the play,” Phillip replied.
“Yeah, Dusty is a dream. We adore him,” Rich concurred.
I sat proudly in my cubby. They’d be back later tonight before they left. I knew it.
I watched the clock that had bones for the hour and minute hands. Hours had gone by, and I felt like I had a brick in my stomach. No other pets remained in the pound with me. They had either gone home with a master or checked out. An overwhelming feeling of despair washed over me as Zack walked down the aisle toward me.
“Alright, Dusty. Come on, there’s only thirty minutes left before checkout,” he announced as he opened my gate. “Did you have a good time?”
I nodded, though I felt like I had been kicked. Staying true to my puppy self, alone I crawled to the locker room. I opened the locker, reached for my navy nylon duffel bag and set it on the bench. While I removed my paws, I couldn’t help but wonder what I had done wrong.
What had I misread with Phillip and Rich?
What had they wanted, or needed, that I failed to provide or see?
With my “paws” off, I opened and closed my hands, checking to see how they were doing. Even though the knuckles were red, I didn’t have a scratch on my hands. I had been pretty impressed with the durability and padding of the gloves, or paws.
“Too bad no one else was as impressed,” I said under my breath as I tossed the gloves in my bag.
I retrieved the plastic baggie from my bag and slid the zipper to the opposite side to open it. Carefully, I removed my puppy tail and put it in the baggie. I sealed the baggie and put it inside a brown paper lunch bag to transport home for cleaning. Before I put the lunch bag in the duffel, I set my clean clothes on the bench.
My harness came off next and then my hood and mask. I stared at my brand new pup mask and hood. Phillip and Rich had even complimented me on my new gear. This hood and mask made me feel like I looked as good as all of the other pups … the ones that were wanted. I dropped the harness in the duffel and then the mask and hood on top of it.
Reaching behind my neck, I unbuckled my collar to take it off. I brushed my thumb over my name and then flipped it over to stare at the blank plate.
“Someday.” I sighed and dropped the collar in the bag.
Nursing a bruised ego, I trudged to the showers. Quickly, I cleaned the weekend off of me. I didn’t really want to drive home smelling like sex and piss with grass-stained knees and dried cum all over me. I grabbed a clean towel from the towel shelf and dried myself off as I hurried back to my locker. I pulled on my clothes, zipped up my duffel bag, and headed toward the door.
“Have a great night, Dusty. See you next time,” Zack said as I approached the podium.
“Thanks, Zack.” I coughed to clear my throat. After not using my voice since Friday night, I was a little dry and raspy sounding. “Have a good one,” I said and walked out of the pound.
As I walked across the paved pathway to the masters’ house, my mind was heavily occupied. I couldn’t help but try to figure out why so many people thought I was a wonderful puppy, yet I wasn’t good enough to be someone’s forever friend.
