A Tale of Two: The Cat & the Dog

The Story

There was once a dog who had a family of four, two children, and his wife, including himself.  

The dog was rude and lazy, refusing to care for his children, and one day, he decided instead to go out to the lake and have fun.  

When he was wandering around, he saw a cat lying down on the sand.  The cat was much older than him and looked lonely, so he stopped to talk.  The dog asked him, "Why aren't you getting up and having fun?"

The cat twisted his head away from the lake and asked, "Why aren't you with family?"  

The dog quickly became furious and loudly said, "You aren't with family either!"  

But the old cat just smiled, and told him, "I always am, and they know it."  

The cat, being kind, decided to tell the dog a story.   "Long ago, there was a mother, weak and cold," he began.  "The mother was with child and desired to give them away so they could have a better life.  On the other hand, her husband loved the child.  He loved him so much he would do anything to keep it, so when he heard of what she was planning to do, he decided to take the child away when they were born.  

But when the child was born, he quickly changed his mind, for the child was not what he was expecting.  The child was weak, and ugly, and had only three legs.   Quickly, he shoved the babe to his wife, telling her to take the monster away.  The wife, horrified by her husband, instead took the child far away from him, to a place where he could grow up safe and accepted.  Many years later, that child grew up and had children of his own.  But this time," the cat seemed to stare into nothing, "instead of being like his father, he promised to treat them with love and kindness, a way he was never treated."

The cat suddenly heard a small sniffle.   Turning his head to see the dog, he was surprised to see him silently crying, whimpering at the story.  The dog asked him, "What happened to him? The child?"

The cat, seeing him continue to cry, looked at the sun for a moment, before telling him, "Just watch." The dog, confused once more, did as he was told, and the cat and the dog watched as a family of cats came over and said,

"Thank you for being with him.  He gets very lonely sometimes at home," before helping him up and taking him back away.  The dog, watching the cats walk away, noticed something he didn't before.  The old cat he had been talking to had only three feet.  All of a sudden, the dog realized what he had been trying to tell him.  Now the dog understood why the cat had been lying down.

After thinking by the water for a while, the dog decided to change, and as the sun started to set over the lake, the dog could only think about his family, and what the cat had said.  When dusk finally came, the dog came to a decision, stood up and yelled, "I promise to be a good father!" Sitting back down, he watched as the last of the sun fell below the lake.  As night fell, he pushed himself off the sand, and slowly started the way back home.

When he arrived back at his home, he ran in and saw his family, looking sad.  Quickly, he gathered them together and said two words to them, words that almost fixed everything, "I'm sorry." His wife, knowing his pride, forgave him and petted him, smiling.  His children gaped at him, unsure if this was their father.  Squinting, they watched as their mother laughed and smiled, something she rarely did.  And slowly, they let a small smile sneak onto their faces.  Giggling, they ran to their father, hugging him with everything they've got.

And as the happy family ate dinner and laughed, no one noticed a dark figure outside their window.  Watching them smile.  The figure then slowly limped to other figures, wiping away a small tear.  They had just finished their nightly walks and decided to check up on the dog, one last time before leaving.  The cat's family smiled and hugged.  It was nice to help other families from suffering hardships.   And together, they walked home.  When they arrived, the family smiled, glad to assist another broken family.

Family first, life later.  Do not let your judgment and the appearance of someone cloud your mind from opportunity.