For months he stayed in that kennel. Quiet, motionless, as if he had already accepted his fate. Every day the same sounds filled the hallway. Doors opening. Footsteps drawing near. Families laughing with excitement as they chose their new companions. Then footsteps fading away again. One more empty cage. But never his.
He had stopped expecting. His world had become a plastic bed, yellow walls without windows, and a food bowl that was always half full. Just like his heart. He no longer cried. He no longer asked. He just waited. With that expression only dogs know. The one that comes when hope has been carried too long and finally burns out.
But today felt different.
This morning a volunteer placed a bandana gently around his neck. He had seen them before, but only on the lucky ones. The ones leaving. Never him. He froze, certain it was some kind of mistake.
Then came a smile. A soft voice. A hand brushing his head and stroking his side with care. And then words he could hardly believe. “You’re going home.”
He tilted his head as if to make sure he heard right. Deep inside, something stirred. A spark. A fragile flicker of hope. He wanted so badly to trust it but was afraid it might disappear.
Yet today it is real. Someone looked past the silence. Past the tired eyes. Past the months of being overlooked. Someone finally saw his heart.
Now he sits there, not quite ready to move, almost scared to break the moment. But his eyes are glowing again. His ears slowly rising. Like a soul waking after a very long sleep.
For the very first time he knows what it feels like to be chosen. To be wanted. To be loved.
He is no longer just a dog in a shelter. No longer a number on a cage.
He is family now. A companion. A best friend in the making.
And his new story begins today.
Credit to the original writer. Respect 🫡