The Human Who Took Me Home

I could smell her as soon as she walked into the compound through the big double doors I rarely got to see the other side of. Nervousness, excitement, and a little fear reached my nose. She was trying to mask it all with some fresh flowery scent, but she wasn’t fooling any of us.

Barking erupted from the corner kennel as she walked by. Then another voice from across the compound joined in, then another, and another until about half of the inhabitants were announcing her. I refrained from adding my voice, and instead sat in the middle of my cage, waiting for her to choose her new best friend and move on. Just like all the others did. Hardly anyone ever wanted a dog like me. Most people dismissed me and others that looked like me, when our caretakers told them we were Pit Bulls. I’m not sure what that means or why it’s bad. But to many humans, hearing that word or seeing one of us makes them run in the other direction.

I did have a family once. A wonderful family with Mom and Dad and two human pups. They came to my compound when I was one year old, in human years, and took me home with them. I loved them, especially Dad. He took me to a school where I learned a lot of tricks. For some reason, humans love it when we do tricks, which is fine me, because I get treats or praise or pats every time I do something they like. I learned very quickly that something humans do not like is when we relieve ourselves in the house.

I lived with that family for an amazing year, and then they brought me back to the shelter. Dad was very upset when he dropped me off. “It’s not your fault Mika,” he told me, “We have to move, and we just can’t take you with.” Then he left me there. Just like that, I was back in a cage surrounded by others in similar situations with minimal human contact or exercise.

Another year had gone by since Dad dropped me off, and I had long since stopped trying to announce myself to perspective families. So I sat and listened to the crunch of shoes on the gravel path and waited for her to make her choice and leave. Then the gym shoes stopped in front of my cage. I looked up to see a girl belonging to the age in humans where they are done with school but don’t yet have a complete life plan or full human pack. She looked more like the type to choose a little fluffy dog rather than me. She had long hair that had probably started in a tail at the back of her neck but was now falling loose. Her eyes were soft, and I guessed she only weighed about sixty pounds more than me. My weigh was all muscle, unlike hers. I’m not a huge dog, but my head still came up to her hip.

She stood there, just looking at me. Her expression was blank, but I could tell she was assessing me. I looked back at her. We watched each other for a few minutes before I opened my mouth and let my tongue roll out.

I caught a slight twitch at the corner of the girl’s mouth. Good, I thought, I’m doing something right. This girl was definitely different than most of the other humans I had seen. It was going to take something different to get her to take me home, but if she was already looking at me, I had a chance. I let my tongue loll to the side and relaxed my body a little. The scent of fear was so faint now, I could barely catch it, and her nervousness had decreased slightly.

Now if I can get her to take me for a walk… I wagged my tail across the floor.

She watched me a few more seconds, shrugged, and walked back the way she’d come. Wait! What does that mean? Are you going to take me for a walk? Please take me! Let me show you how great I am! I wanted to call after her, but the bark caught in my throat. What had I done? Had I lost my chance? Who knows how long I would have to wait for another one.

Barking from the dogs on the corner kennel announced another human in the compound.

Could it be?! Was she back? No. The scent was different. It was one of the care takers. He was walking towards me with a leash! Stop here, stop here, I thought.

When he go to my kennel he smiled, “Hi pretty girl. Ready to show off?”

I stood up and wagged my tail so hard it shook my whole body. The man laughed, unlocked my cage, and clipped the leash to my collar. I could barely contain myself. As soon as he had the leash on, I pushed past him and pulled him all the way to the doors.

“Hey,” he said, running after me, “Mika, slow down!”

I didn’t listen until I was at the doors. I sat and waited for the man to catch up and open them. Then I tore ahead of him again. I saw the girl standing in the waiting room and ran straight to her. I looked up at her and gave her my biggest open mouth grin.

She looked down at me and frowned.

What? I wondered, was it something I did? My ears drooped a little. The girl reached out and took my leash from the man. Immediately I lunged toward the doors that lead to the grass area. The leash went taut, and I was jerked slightly. I stopped, shook myself to get my bearings, and then looked back at the girl. She hadn’t moved. I turned back to the outside doors and tried again. Come on, I want to go out there!

The leash went taught again. I stopped and looked at the girl confused. No one had ever done this to me before. Especially someone who was supposed to have a small fluffy dog. Without saying a word, the girl pulled the leash back to her. I was obliged to follow. When she had me close enough, she took my collar and pulled it up so it was right behind my ears. More control for her, less use of power for me. This girl was definitely different.

She looped the leash so it was much shorter and directed me to her side. She tugged the leash up slightly and said, “Sit.”

It was not a question or suggestion. I sat.

We waited like that for a moment. Then she took a step forward. Excited, I started to run ahead of her. The leash went taut, and before I knew what was going on, she was pulling me back and repeating the process we had just gone through. This happened a few more times, until I decided to just let her lead us out the door. Otherwise, I was never going to get there.

Since it had taken so long to even get outside, I decided not to show off how I find an issue with pretty much every other dog I see, especially when I’m on a leash. I’m not what humans call “dog aggressive” I’m just selective in my canine friends, and I like to make it clear that I’m the boss. However, I knew that if I wanted this girl to be my ticket out, I needed to act like the dog she thought she wanted.

We walked past a number of dogs in kennels whose attempts to start a conversation I ignored. Next we walked past the cats lounging on their screened in porch. I would have loved to tell the cats a thing or two, but I refrained. When she was satisfied with my behavior towards other animals, the girl took me to a fenced off area. I let her go through the gate first.

She closed the gate after me and dropped the leash. I looked up at her for a minute, then ran a perimeter check and marked my territory.

“Mika, come,” the girl said.

I waited until she called me again, then came over to her. She patted my head. Her touch was gentle, but firm. I got the impression that although I had fooled her with a few things today, if she took me home, I might have to actually change my ways. She’d probably make me.

The girl ran her hand down my back and proceeded to check me all over. It’s not too late. I can still get out of this. But even as I thought it, I let her inspect every inch of me, including my mouth. Really, I didn’t mind. She’s growing on me, I thought, It might be interesting to have her as my human.

When she was done checking me, the girl picked up the leash and took me back to the care giver. “Good Girl,” she told me and gave me a real smile and handed over my leash. I hope I get to see her again, I thought as I was led back to my kennel.

A few days later I was brought out. As soon as the double doors were opened, I caught a whiff of the girl. She’s here! She’s came back for me! I rushed toward her and stopped short. She already held a leash. I followed the line down to the dog attached to it. It was a small, fluffy dog. I knew it! I knew she’d want one of those instead. Humans like her usually do. No one wants us bigger, “scary” dogs. I’m not a scary dog. I’m a friendly, sweet-natured dog. Hadn’t I proved that? My tail began to droop.

Then I realized something, I was out of my kennel for a reason. Maybe she’s going to take us both, I thought. I looked down at the dog on the leash. He was old; I could smell it on him. He pushed against the girl’s leg, his stump of a tail between his legs. Why is he so scared? I wondered.

The girl was already his human, I could see that now. If I wanted her to be mine too, I was going to have to share her. I walked up to the dog and sniffed him all over. He smelled like outside and the girl. He barely bothered to sniff me.

“I’m Sammy,” he said in a yappy voice, “Her name is Ilana. She’s been mine for eight human years. I’ll share her as long as you leave me alone and take care of her. It’s getting hard for me to do that. I wasn’t exactly a young pup when she picked me in the first place and now…” He trailed off.

I shrugged, “Okay, I can do that,” I said. I can handle living with an old dog who wants his space. He’s not going to get in the way with Ilana, so what do I care? I thought.

“Good dogs!” Ilana said. She turned to the helper behind the desk and started talking to her. I was brought back to my kennel.

Confused, I sat in my kennel for a few more days, wondering why I still wasn’t with Ilana and Sammy in a real home. Then I was brought out again, but this time Ilana wasn’t waiting for me.

A man and woman older than Dad and Mom from my first family were there instead. The man was slightly heavy set, and was leaning on sticks to help him walk. I could smell the break in his leg that was healing. The woman was slight like Ilana. Both of them had something of her in their features. They were smiling at me. They must be Ilana’s Mom and Dad, I realized. If they’re part of her pack, I have to impress them too. Ilana better be an amazing human to have, if I have to jump through all these hoops for her, I thought.

Ilana’s parents took me outside, and I showed off for them. I won the new Dad’s heart faster than the new Mom’s. But it must have been enough because the next day was the last day a helper ever put a leash on me and led me through the double doors.

Ilana was waiting. She smelled happy and excited mixed with a little nervousness. She patted my head and took my leash. Grinning, she led me through the glass entrance doors and across the gravel parking lot to her car. I don’t remember how the gravel felt or what anything smelled like as she opened the door for me and I jumped in. I was brimming with so much joy and relief that I just curled up and slept the whole way to my new home.

As soon as Ilana led me into her house, I made a beeline for the room that smelled the most like her. I noticed Sammy curled in his little bed as I sailed over him onto the big comfy bed taking up most of Ilana’s little room. As I drifted off to sleep on her pillow, I heard her tell someone named Ellie about me, and I knew I had finally found my forever home and my forever human. Flaws and all, this girl was definitely worth it.