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"A dog named Pulse"

by Kantuck Nadie Nata-akon

"What did I do wrong?"

The door squeaks on its metal hinges once again. The same, day in and day out. Opening an eye, I sniff at the influx of air, and again it's about the same. The same food human was making his rounds. He's ok, treats me pretty well.

I look up at him, perking my ears forward. I don't see the leash and collar maybe still he'll take me for a walk? Just something other than this cage I'm in most of the day. Nothing to do but listen to the cries of puppies until they finally realize they don't have a bitch, sire, or sibs. Mewing of cats - yeah, cats are ok. We're all in the same area, so I don't care much. At least every time someone new comes in there is a bunch of new scents to take in. Not like last time the sun was up, that wasn't a fun day, let me tell you!

I can recall it clearly.A human bitch came in, with her three whelps. They were running around, yapping so loud it hurt my ears. Then they came to my cage barking at their bitch while looking at me. They were too excited, moving too much. I couldn't help but to growl at them. Making me back up as far back as I could in my cage. I could feel my tail tucking between my legs, and cower. Can't these puppies see they're scaring me? Then when the bitch pulls her puppies away, I could smell the toy she had in her paw. Ug, smelt of metals, and the sweat from her paw. Then my eyes started to burn from her STINK: flowers, mothballs, roses. My nose is burning, I start sneezing, blasting out each sneeze until she wanders off, dragging her welps off too.

Hey, wait, something new. There's another human coming in with him. Hmm, something's different about him. *sniff*, Hey there's new scents coming from him, something really new. When he starts barking at the food human, hey his voice is different too. His intones are calm, friendly, and when I look at him closely, I can see his posture is different; relaxed. I put my nose against the cage's fence front and sniff again. The new human has a kind face. He doesn't show his teeth. His voice is soft and friendly. Yeah, he's different, friendly, and I can't help but wag my tail just a bit.

"I'm just looking for a plain dog, nothing fancy, a mix breed maybe?"

"Well..." the food-human barks, "there isn't much lately. Puppies over there," he mentions with a point to the set. "Cats too and we even had a set of rabbits."

Yeah, I remember those rabbits. Would've love to run them down but never was able to get to them.

The new human points to me. "What about him?"

"Old growly there? Well, he's been here for a month. Actually, this is his third time here. Being the only shelter in the county, we meet some over and over again. He doesn't like people much. Why yesterday this woman came in with three kids.He did NOT like them period."

The new human's head bobbed up and down then

"Yeah, Dalmatians don't like kids. They're a bit of a high-strung dog breed."

"You know your dogs?"

"Animal Behaviorist. Just moved here a few months ago. Grew up with dogs, cats, horses...you name it if it had four legs or wings I helped them."

"Hey cool! Maybe you can help me sometimes with a dog."

"Be glad too." then the new human put his paw on my cage front. I sniffed it closely. There were all sorts of new scents, some strong, some weak. There was also his own scent. I looked up at him, then against my better judgment, I start panting and wagging my tail. He's nice.

"Hey old growly likes you!" the food human said excitedly. Unlike those human pups, this human smells of excitement but never is like those pups.

The new human glances at me and says something.

"Wanna come home with me, boy?"

Hmm...nothing about food, nothing about pats, or play. I just stand there panting, wagging my tail.

"I'll take him."

"Ok, let's go in the front, do some paperwork then" he's already moving on "Got a leash?"

The other human is following "Yeah..."

The big squeaky door clangs shut. Well, that was at least nice.

I'm doing my business in a corner, hating to do that cause it stinks but then the door opens again, and the food human now opens my cage. I wonder if it's time to go walking again? But then I notice the new human has a leash. Maybe he's going walking me?

"Ok boy. You're going home with me."

Home? What's that...oh! Yes that other place, great. Trading this cage for being tied up outside away from them for months, my neck sore...

The door opens from his car, and he guides me down this wood plank to the ground, and it's - big. I look around at the hills, the forests, the sounds of animals. My nose smells everything. It's so new, so big, so many smells and sounds and tastes. It's not like it was before. He guides me into this area, and it's that same metal links, but it's behind the house, it just goes on and on! Something smells! It's going this way...And that! I try to track it now, back and forth. Snort! Sniff. There's a tree, yes something or someone's been here, and I have to mark it. Woof! I take off and run around this area. It's so big! I hear an animal, a big animal with a loud whinny! Then another, a boxy black and white animal moo. There are birds. I remember birds!

As days pass, he lets me into his house. The food is in his house, and he shows me how to go in and out of the house. I'm still in a cage, but it's so VERY big I can run! My legs burn and heart pump as I run around this cage now. Those big animals become my friends as I smell and run with them.

Then when my human, no my friend, lays down he wants me beside him on this big square soft area. He puts his arm around me, and I sleep for I feel protected, wanted. I have a new pack now, and somehow I know this is my forever home.

More days pass, and he teaches me things, but when he asks me to do it and I do it right, I get rewards.He speaks nice to me, sometimes treats. I want to do more, and so he does that. Soon he opens a door on the huge outside cage, and for the first time, I can walk around without the gate. I meet my other friends in other areas, now I meet more animals, and can run further in the forest and see other things.But I return quickly to eat to be with my human friend.

One day another human comes to the farm. My human says, "Friend" That strange sound he makes, I remember it. Like that one sound he may yell out "Spots!" and I come to him, or I look up at him. Like that sound "Guest" I know what to do then, but when he says 'friend' I know how this new human is like him.

This goes on for months. My friend and his new friend stay here. He works with the others. My big friends, but at times he sits with my 1st friend, with my head on his lap, his arm around him. He makes my 1st friend as happy as I do, for his eyes light up when this new human comes in. Even when I hear them barking at each other on that odd thing they put to their ear. I can't figure why the 2nd friend's voice is coming through it, but it makes my 1st friend happy.

A few times my 1st and a 2nd friend leave the house for a bit of time. Then I can't go out but I have plenty of food, water and he lets me relieve myself before they go so everything's fine.

This day, something's wrong.

The sun had set and rose, and they hadn't returned. I hate it, but I got to go relieve myself, and I never did it in the house. What do I do?Finally, I smell something in this small room. At times I could smell waste, not dog but human and urine too. There's another little room, sort of wet at times. Finally, I can't help it, and go in that wet room. It feels so good, and then I relieve myself again.This bigger room has a water bowl that never empties, so I drink from it, but I'm so hungry now.

The sun rose again, then that odd thing early when the sun rose and more paper slip into the house from the outside. I look out the window. There's a human bitch walking around. She's an intruder! I bark loudly! Barking she looks at the house, and something on her face. Not fear but something different.She leaves, good!

I snuffle around the things stuck in, through the little slot. Smells of that thing my first friend always liked for me to bring to him at times. I look at it. There's coloration on it, odd marks but it makes no sense to me. I just look at it, then I'm starting to feel tired, maybe a nap. I lay by the door waiting for my 1st and 2nd friend to come home. It's been so long.

As he sleeps, he dreams of all the good times, and the newspaper's rubber band breaks open, unrolling to say "Pulse Nightclub Massacre, 49 dead..."

Suddenly I woke up, the door's making a noise. After a bit of time, while I sniff at it, then growl. Someone's doing something wrong! I think a strange human walk in. Then two others. They sound suspicious, and I growl and show my teeth.

"Easy boy, we're just here to help," they slowly growl at me. They stink of tension. They're not nice!Then they put something around my neck, and I start to fight! Squirming and snarling as they drag me away from my home. Then as I'm put into a big truck, I see many other humans around the area and an older human female. She's smelling of fear, and is crying too. What's going on?

--

I'm now back in the building again, sitting in a small cage once again. I look out at the gray walls, at the others out there. Puppies whimpering and crying Kitten's mewing, an older dog lay in his cage not saying anything but his eyes show such tiredness.

There's the food guy again! Yes, he's giving me food, and cleaning my cage after he moves me to an empty one. But as I stand there, watching I think...

"What did I do wrong? I was happy there, I thought I did the right thing. I never growled, or snarled at my friends. Did I guard right?

I can't help but to whine, "When will my two human friends come back for me? Are they?"

I just lay down put my head on my paws and dream once again.

***

Author's thoughts:

In all tragedies, there are always the human victims: men, women, children. But one other, we tend to forget. That is our animal companions, our horses, cats, rabbits, cows, fish, even insects...

And then, there are our dogs.

9/11 hurt like no other. But one thing in 2016 hurt far worse. This is a story about that, and the 4th victims - the ones Fox news or CNN or others don't talk about.

This was inspired by a 1-page comic in the book "Love is Love; http://www.idwpublishing.com/product/love-is-love/

No title, but none is needed.

This comic has SO many great stories in it. But three echoed with me, and this one told MY story.

"For every fight, we win, there can be a moment when we feel powerless." "There will always be somewhere we feel protected."

At the moment, I think It will be hard pressed for me to feel safe again or accepted even after all the victories we had.

Finally:

The very last story in the comic says,

"Keep creating your art,"

"tell your stories,"

"and celebrate life,"

"because that's how we beat this thing."

Writing is the unique thing I can do, to portray it in a manner that resonates with people.

I will continue telling stories and celebrate this amazing gift of what the Great Maker gave us; life.

/and I will fight back always. /

This was dedicated to the victims, both human and pets, of the Pulse Club attack.

Kantuck Nadie Nata-akon