Buddy was lonely. He had been wondering the streets for a long time. Before he came to this neighborhood, he was with his momma and the other pups. He remembered his momma and missed her and his brothers and sisters.
Everything had been fine until one day the man had taken him in his car and dropped him off. Buddy didn't know why the man left him, but he knew he missed his momma and the other pups.
After he was dropped off he walked for hours until night came. Buddy was cold, hungry and tired and there were no other pups to keep him company.
The next day he met some people that were nice to him and gave him something to eat and drink and petted him. He was happy to have the comfort from them but became sad as they walked away from him and back into their house.
That night a storm came and he was scared and tried to find a place to hide. The loud thunder cracked and boomed and he thought someone was after him. He found a pine tree and slept there the rest of the night.
The next morning he woke up to find glowing eyes staring at him. He was curious about this visitor and slowly peeked out from under the pine tree. The visitor arched its back and hissed loudly in a most frightening way. Buddy barked loudly and the visitor ran off.
As Buddy walked along the neighborhood there were so many smells to explore. He tracked a scent that took him to a school. The scent was getting stronger and stronger. The closer he got the closer Buddy knew he was going to have lunch. He found children playing on a playground. He realized they wouldn't be a threat so he used his sad eyes to get attention. A little boy smiled down at him and shared a sugar cookie with him. The little boy smiled and petted him. A few other children came over. Buddy wagged his tail and enjoyed the children's laughter. Then suddenly the children left him alone and went home to be with their families.
Buddy was sad for a while and lay under the bench at the playground. He fell asleep and dreamt of a warm lap and squeaky toys. When he woke up he realized he was hungry. He started sniffing the ground hoping to find a morsel of food. Sometimes he would find a potato chip or piece of sandwich left by the children. As he sniffed the ground he realized he wasn't at the playground anymore. He didn't know where he was. He walked down the street and noticed two little girls playing in their yard with a ball. It looked like fun so Buddy walked up to the little girls and wagged his tail. The little girls smiled at him and petted him. Buddy liked pets. He poked at the ball with his nose to show the girls he wanted to play. It was a big ball so he couldn't catch it with his mouth but he could push it with his nose. After a while the little girls went back into the house. At first this made Buddy sad but he felt better when they came back out. He felt even happier when they gave him food and water. He was so hungry and thirsty. He ate every bite and drank every drop. Did he finally find a home for good? He could only hope. He enjoyed the little girls chatter even though he didn't know what they were saying. The little girls sat on the porch and Buddy crawled up onto one of their laps and took a nap. It felt so good not to be alone. After a while he woke up to one of the girls picking him up. He wondered where they were taking him. The little girls walked up to the house next door. A woman came to the door and spoke to them. She sat down on the porch and petted Buddy. Buddy was so tired. All he could do was lay there. He missed having a home and wondered if he would ever have one. He heard the woman say something and realized she was talking right to him. He looked at her but didn't understand what she was saying. He liked her smile so he crawled up in her lap to see how she felt. He liked her lap. He liked her pets too. They were soft and comforting.
A few minutes later the woman went back into the house but came right back out with a little boy and a little girl. They smiled and squealed with delight to see him. "Mom please let us keep him." He heard them say. He had heard this before. He learned the hard way not to get too excited. He waited to see what the woman would say. The woman opened her door and let Buddy in. Buddy walked in the house and looked around. The little girl picked him up and took him to her room and laid him on her bed. It was so soft. He had never been on a bed before. He could get used to this. The woman walked into the room and petted Buddy. "I wish I knew your name little guy." Buddy tried to tell her but all he did was bark. He would like to think that this was his home but he wasn't sure. He didn't have his own bed, or a toy. Nothing in this house was his. He had been in many yards and played with children only to be turned away. Buddy was skeptical. He thought of the many times he was fed and then turned away. He waited for these people to do the same. He decided he didn't want to get used to the soft bed only to lose it so he jumped off the bed and laid on the floor. He fell asleep. When he woke up he was in the same room. He looked around and saw a little girl brushing her hair. She smiled at him. He sniffed her hand and then she petted him. Buddy walked out of the room and smelled something. He followed the scent into the kitchen. He saw a man pouring food in a bowl. Buddy studied the man then looked at the bowl. He was putting it on the floor....for him! He ran over to the bowl and ate out of it. It tasted so good. He looked at the man and noticed him with another bowl. It had water in it. He sniffed the man. He smelled nice. The man petted him. "Good morning little Buddy." A little while later he watched the man leave with the woman and children. He was alone. He jumped up on the couch and watched them drive away. He wondered when they would be back. He felt tired so he fell asleep on the couch.
A little while later Buddy heard the front door open. He went to the door and saw the woman come in with a bag. She pulled a toy out of the bag and Buddy's eyes lit up. He could barely contain his excitement. He barked and jumped and wagged his tail. He heard the woman laugh. She gave him the toy and he played with it. The woman petted him and told him "Welcome Home."
From that time on Buddy had a home with his new daddy, momma and "brudder and sisser". He plays ball, goes for walks and sleeps on warm laps. He guards the house from squirrels, rabbits, cats, school buses, garbage trucks and other dogs. Buddy will tell you it's a hard job but it's worth it to protect the ones you love.
