Survivors of Gotham City

Ace - The Story of a Man's Best Friend

My name is Ace, but you can call me a street dog, a stray, a Bloodhound, a filthy Mutt, whatever tickles your fancy. You must be thinking, why I am okay with these names. Well, I don't care because no matter what you call me, I am what I am - a stray dog, a Bloodhound. 

How would like to a glance to my daily life? This is my story after all. 

My day begins every dawn at about six o'clock, this is when I am abused and shooed away by store managers or street sweepers. Stones are thrown, brooms are hit against my body, reminding me that I have to keep moving. There is no place for me to call home. I live every night the same routine over and over till my last breath. 

Sometimes during my sleep, I dream of a best friend, a human. A dream that I never want to wake up from. I always wish for nightfall to come around, to relive the same dream. To survive the streets of Gotham City, my day continues with a hunt for food. If I am lucky, I manage to find stale bread or leftover scraps from the garbage. If I'm lucky, I get half eaten pork or beef bones. However, food never comes easily with continuous competitions or fights with other dogs. I get injured during my meal time... but who am I to complain. 

I have to do what I have to do to survive, it's what street dogs do. We grab what we can salvage before others take it. 

Not all days are bad. Some days, I come across gentle strangers who feed me their leftovers or buy dog treats from the store. No matter what food I get from gentle strangers, it's enough for me. Some pate me on the head, call me a good boy and other sweet words while I show them my gratitude with a wagging tail, kisses to the hand, and a full stomach. There are days when I am yelled at, abused, stones thrown during my sleep. Sometimes, I am abused and chased down the streets by kids. My heart races as my tail is tucked between my legs, running for my life. Finding shelter in dark, filthy drains. 

I feel amazed with the amount of food that is wasted without a though of feeding us dogs. I always feel like this is God's way of providing us with food. There is a saying that street dogs are smarter than domesticated dogs. That we are street smart. However, the one thing I am not smart at.. 

Wait.... What.. No... that's wrong. Let me correct myself. 

The one thing I will never understand is man's anger or hatred towards us. What have we ever done wrong? Is it our existence? On one hand, house dogs (THE SAME AS US) are given food, water, shelter. They are loved and hugged by many and played with. On the other hand, we are chased out of the street for just surviving and existence. What humans fail to notice is that we are the same race, only we are different breeds. 

The most difficult, tough times are in winter when we shiver and cuddle up each other warmth. All the while, our other brothers and sisters wear blankets are inside warm rooms, fully satisfied with a warm bed and food.

Summers are not so great either. We hunt for water just as much as wolves hunt for their prey in the winter seasons. Often we are forced to drink from dirty drains outside hotels, homes, or restaurants. With no choice, we will even drink sewage water found on the streets. We have to take shelter from the heat and the pouring rain under cars. This crushes our body under the vehicle that we call shelter. 

All the while, our well friends live in nice air-conditioned rooms, reclining in cool cars, or going for walks with nice shiny collars, harnesses, and leashes. Even with their owners having a proud smile on their face wearing fancy clothing. If we try to come near them or just pass them down the street, we are hit with sticks, kicked to the ground, and shooed away. 

It confuses me. I am supposed to be smarter than an average human no? We have bright minds yet I cannot understand this so called 'thing'. 

Are these people not so-called dog lovers? Are they not caring about animals? If they can shower endless love and affection upon their house pets, why not us? Why be mean to us? Let me speak for myself and others that we are not asking to be in their homes. Why can't we lie down and sleep outside their homes? Be given one meal per day? Let us be who we are and leave us alone? Is that too much to ask? How can man be so harsh in recognizing between two creatures of the same species? 

I will say one thing. 

Who will be left to take care of us? Who is there to take care of us when we fall sick? Are too weak to walk and find food for ourselves? When we are too old and frail to move? The answer is simple. NO ONE! 

The harsh reality hits me: Me and my brothers and sisters are all alone in this cruel, selfish world. We have to fend for ourselves or just lie and wait for a car, truck, or bus to kill us. To take away every inch of our life. To end our suffering. To end what little life there was internally. 

I must admit, life on the street has made me tough and brought me to a point to rebel against those who hurt me. I am no longer the softie I was. I am now a true aggressive, dangerous Bloodhound. I am ready to face all hardships. It makes me a so called "soldier" as what humans say or a "fighter". he joy of running carefree with my brothers and sisters, tugging at them, playing with them, barking and chasing cares. With no end, endless. It makes my dull, tedious life worth living. 

I don't mind being reborn as a dog in my next life. 

I do ask God to be just a little bit empathetic and give me a better life. 

Can I have the taste of both lives? One on the streets and one with a man? A life where I can finally have a human, surrounded with warmth, love, and happiness? 

Can I not be who I was born to be, a man's best friend? 

It seems like a dream, something I am wishing for that is far from reality. Many of us dwell with these thoughts, but you may find us silly. You may never know, the sky's the limit, the sun shines brightly on the other side. 

I want to let you in on a little secret. For me, my name ACE stands for: 

A - Alert, Athletic, Affectionate 

C - Cunning, Courageous, Clumsy, Companion 

E - Energetic, Expressive, Exuberant 

You know my name can be a compliment right? We can be your best friends. There are millions of aces out there? Just like golf if I got that right? Men who play golf score a hole-in-one on the first try. You see where I am going with this? I can be your lucky number one, but I cannot force you. It is up to you. 

My story is not over. I never said I was done. 

I never realized that my question to God was answered. 

I never realized that there was a man for me. I had to wait for the right one. The one I can finally call, MINE! The one I can remain loyal to in the next life and the next. I never realized that this man has earned my kindness and has such a kind heart. 

It took me a while to understand that this man is like me. Two peas in a pod. Two heads better than one. A man who finally has a best friend in such a cold city. A man who has trouble existing and fitting in never realized that I was waiting for him. 

That I... ACE THE BLOODHOUND, will always be his best friend. Words cannot describe how strong our bond continues to grow. 

You will have stay by and continue reading the story. To understand how a dog and a man struggle in Gotham City, find each other in such a cruel world filled with cruel people and animals.