We went on our usual run at the park late this afternoon despite the headache I had suffered since after lunch. One our second round, we noticed this adorable white dog with brown patches tied to a bench. She looked like a cross between a spitz and a corgi. A girl in rollerblades was playing with her for a bit and and then left her alone. We figured the owner was just jogging nearby.
My headache turned into a dull throbbing that I had to sit down. I secretly also wanted to be near the dog. She was so well-behaved, just sitting next to the bench and looking at passers-by. It was hard not to notice her.
My husband and I took turns having her get to know us by smelling our hands and then we sat at the bench across from where she was so that we can keep an eye on her. A woman approached us and said that the dog had been tied to that bench for about 30 minutes already. She had witnessed how its person had put her there and left in a hurry. She was concerned that the dog was deliberately left in the park for good so she alerted the park security.
About 10 minutes after we sat across from her, she started howling in a low tone and giving out short barks. She was starting to feel lonely. My chest kept tightening by the second and my eyes were starting to well up. I walked over to her and she immediately started to lick my hands and the exposed parts of my legs. She had me right there and I was ready to bring her home.
Of course the husband had to bring me back to earth and remind me that we had two other dogs, a male lab and a young, female beagle, who might not welcome a new addition to the family. Our territorial persian cat was another thing. Still, he too couldn’t help coming with a name for our new friend.
As we were discussing her fate, a young woman who had also been running approached and asked about the dog. She was willing to take her in despite the fact that she was only renting a room nearby. It was clear she fell in love with our new furry friend. We were just waiting for the park security to come by and take note of the girl’s contact number in case the owner came back looking for the dog. The girl was beginning to get very excited, and so was her husband who was training nearby for the national muay thai meet. About an hour after we discovered the dog, a middle-aged woman and someone who was clearly her helper came running towards us. The woman was muttering, explaining to no one in particular that she was buying fish and lost track of time. They took the dog and hurriedly walked away from us.
My husband had a few conclusions as to what happened. He thought he heard the woman scolding the helper. I was a little put off that the owner did not even acknowledge us, nor thank us for keeping her dog company. The concerned woman, whose name we later found out was Astrid, was a little ticked off as well.
As we were walking home, I realized that my headache was gone and in its place was a hint of a heartache. I wish we had our phones with us so we could have taken her photo. We were going to name her Dani, from Daenarys of Game of Thrones.
