After about a week into the new school season, Cianan and Samantha were walking to school. Suddenly, out of nowhere seemingly, darted a little puppy dog! He was small, with fluffy fur of brown, black and white!! He had a collar on and... what's that? A rope leash that looked as if it had been gnawed through! The puppy was very friendly but skittish!
"Hey, come here, boy! Let me pet you!" said Cianan. The dog ran up to Cianan, then darted away playfully.
"Let's see if I can get him to come here. I wonder who he belongs to? He has a collar. Come here. Buddy come here. We won't hurt you; we just want to pet you!"
Again, the little fuzzy dog ran up to them, then darted away. He was fast! He jumped around, ran back and forth, ran in circles, and appeared to be very happy! He seemed to be smiling!
"Cianan, does he look like he's smiling to you? Look at his little face!"
Cianan stared at the adorable, constantly moving dog.
"Yep. That's a huge smile if I ever saw one on a dog. I think he's enjoying teasing us! Come here. boy, I want to pet you!"
This time when the dog got closer, Cianan set down his backpack and grabbed the dog's short, frayed, rope leash. The dog still tried to get away, until Cianan and Samantha started petting him. He loved it!! He turned up his face and tried to lick their hands and faces!
"Aw, look! He likes us now!" Samantha said excitedly, wiping dog saliva from her cheek.
"Yeah, now that we're petting him, he does. Hi, boy. Why do you have this broken rope?? Did you escape from your yard? Naughty dog!" Cianan said half-jokingly.
"I wonder where he lives?" Samantha asked. They both continued to pet the cute dog. The hyper little dog wagged his tail, jumped around, and tried to lick his new friends. He jumped around in their arms until they almost dropped him, he was so hyper!
All of a sudden, here comes Ferral barreling down the street!
"Hey, Ferral, come meet our new friend!" Samantha called to Ferral. Ferral ran up then slowed down cautiously so as not to scare their new friend!
"Oh, hey. I've seen this little dude around. He belongs a couple of streets over, at 716 Mapleleaf Street. What's he doing out here?? Uh, oh, somebody chewed through their leash. Well,...it’s kind of a sad situation,” Ferral said, a bit dejected.
"Why? What’s wrong?" Cianan asked, as he continued to pet his new little friend.
"Well, his family keeps him outside all the time. They have a fenced yard, but they have to keep him tied up all day and night, too. I think because he jumps the fence."
"Oh, that's awful! Doesn’t he ever get to go inside?" Samantha asked. She petted the little guy even more now, feeling sorry for him.
"Well, not very often. They don't seem to have any kids to play with him. Poor guy! And if the weather's bad, well, he has to stay out in it!" Ferral explained and looked at the poor little dog, who seemed love-starved, and was sure enjoying his new-found friends and all the love and affection he was getting now!
"Can't you teach him not to jump the fence?" asked Samantha.
"Well, I can try. He doesn't speak English yet, so I'll have to talk to him in dog speak.”
"Dog speak??? What's that?" Cianan asked, puzzled.
"It's called barking," Ferral said. They all laughed! No kidding! Then Ferral added his, "Yuck, yuck, yuck" laugh, and both kids laughed. The laughter scared the little dog, and he jumped out of Cianan's arms and ran off.
"Look out! Ferral, get him!" yelled Cianan, as their new furry friend almost got hit by a car when he ran into the street!
Ferral took off after the little guy. He chased him out of the street and onto the opposite sidewalk, then called out to the kids, "Go on to school. I'll talk to him and walk him home. I'll make sure he gets home okay," Ferral reassured Cianan and Samantha.
"Okay. Bye, doggie, See you later!" Samantha called to the puppy.
"Yeah, it’s been nice to meet you. Be a good doggie. Don't jump the fence!" The little dog barked back at them as if to answer them. Then as the kids ran off, he whimpered a bit sadly.
"Don’t worry, little guy. I'll take care of you. Come on, now. Time to go home," Ferral said to the puppy. The kids ran on to school and Ferral talked the little dog into going home after a while. They took a little stroll around the neighborhood first. Ferral explained the dangers of living on the street to the puppy.
"I know. I used to do it. and I'm much bigger and stronger than you. It's harsh conditions out here. No food, no water, except when it rains. You can get hit by a car, or mean people throw things at you or hurt you. Or a bigger mean dog could attack you. It's a dangerous world out on the streets. You're too little to survive. You have to go back home." Ferral explained.
"I lived on the streets for years. But I was very experienced. I knew who to avoid, who the bad dogs were and how to stay out of their path, how to watch out for the dog catcher...you have no street smarts. You are too young and vulnerable. You couldn't make it on the street. You need to stay home where it's safe and you're taken care of.”
To his total surprise, the little puppy began speaking English to him!
"But they don't take very good care of me. I hardly ever see my humans. They just come out once a day and leave me a bowl of food and water. If it’s cold or rainy out, they leave me outside. I don't even have a doghouse! Just a tree for shelter. It’s not very good. Not good at all! And I'm lonely." The little dog began to sniff, and then cry!
"Oh, now here, Buddy. Don't cry. Look, you go back home, and I tell you what. I'll try to find you a better home. It'll take a little time, though. I'll find you a home with kids who will play with you and love you, okay? But in the meantime, you must go home and stay there. It's safer than the streets. I'll try to get back to you---give me a week, okay? I'll see what I can do, Okay buddy? By the way, what's your name?" Ferral asked kindly.
The little dog stopped sniffing and smiled at Ferral.
"They call me Buddy at home. But my real name is Koala Bear."
"Hey, that's an awesome name!" Ferral said enthusiastically.