Shadow the Dog

Animal abuse!

 

Shadow

By Mike Stevens

 

     Shadow the dog was happy; his owners had returned in the car.  He stared at them below him, from the deck where he seemed to spend more and more of his time.  He had a vague recollection of it having been different when he was a puppy; they played with him and petted him, but, being a dog, he didn't know for sure and didn't dwell on it.  He wagged his tail furiously; life was good!   They a filed right beneath where he stood, barking with happiness, but they didn't even look up, let alone say anything to him.  Soon, he was left alone with his thoughts.  He felt his exuberance wilt, and he lay back down dispiritedly.  He could hear them in the house, talking to the new little dog, Mini, apparently their new favorite.  He felt jealous and neglected.  He vaguely wondered why they loved Mini, but paid no attention to him.  Mini got to stay in the house, close to everything that was going on, while he was kept out on the deck, far from everything.  It didn't seem fair to him, but what did he know?  He was just a dog. 

 

     After a few more hours spent doing exactly nothing except getting up, going to the other side of the deck, and lying back down, oh, the excitement, he was awakened by the front door opening.  He could hear Mini barking, and got excited.  Something different was going on.  He watched as Mini walked below him, a leash attached to Karen's arm.  They were going for a walk.  He barked, as he wanted to go too, but they just kept going, not even paying him the least bit of attention.  How long had it been since he'd been allowed out on the street?  Every morning, he had awakened with a sense of anticipation, but every morning they locked him out here on the deck, and promptly ignored him for the rest of the day.  He'd long ago told himself not to expect anything different, no variation from the norm, yet every time something happened, he reacted with excitement; he couldn't help it.  He used to bark out his frustrations, but even that tiny bit of the expression of his boredom was no longer allowed.  So he just lay there, dreaming of attention, attention that would never come. 

 

     It was so boring; maybe if he got up and walked to the other end of the deck, something exciting would be happening.  Another hour had passed.  Just a few more, and he'd be allowed back inside, at least until tomorrow morning.

 

The End