Photo courtesy of PicGifs.com.

Four Boston Terrier puppies were born in the home of an elderly lady named Mildred Mango. She was an accidental Boston Terrier breeder. She raised her two Boston Terriers, one boy, named Dapper, and one girl, named Sweetie, since the time they were pups, and she never spayed or neutered them.

Around the time when Mildred found out Sweetie was “with pups” was around the same time she was thinking of ways to supplement her social security income. She planned to sell each puppy for $300. Since there were four puppies total, this meant a $1200 bonus for her. When the pups were five weeks old, she advertised the pups for sale in the local newspaper. One family responded quickly and took a pup to their loving home. One of the three other pups left behind became anxious when he saw his brother leave and not return the next day.

“Have you seen our brother with the white patch of fur on the top of his head?” the anxious dog asked his sister and brother who were still with him.

The other dogs shook their heads and stood on top of each other trying to get better views around the room and out of the windows. They could not find their missing brother.

The persistent pup asked his mom and dad, “Where is my brother with the white patch of fur on the top of his head? He’s missing! We must find him. Hurry!” The dog pushed on his mom and dad with his head and paws.

The mom dog and dad dog looked at the scared pup and licked his fur to calm him down. The mom dog nuzzled her nose by the anxious pup’s floppy ear and whispered in a sigh, “He has gone to a new family with people. He has moved on. Your love for him will keep you connected forever.”

“People? What’s people? Like Mildred? Why couldn’t he stay with her and us?”

“Life is an adventure, little one. His adventure has begun and yours will soon, too.”

“You mean some people will pick me up, too? Won’t I be able to see you again?”

“Little one, our love will keep us together forever. Wherever you go, I will only be a thought away.”

“But I don’t want to go. I feel so helpless. I want to find my brother.”

His mom nuzzled her nose again into the scared little pup’s cheek and said in her doggy murmur, “Maybe one day you will find him again. You just came from the land of love and are now born into this adventure. Mildred will find you a good home.”

“But I have a home!” the pup argued.

“At times, in this adventure, we can only be as free as our circumstances allow. Mildred is finding you all homes now.”

The little pup ran up to a window and looked outside. He wondered where his brother was in this world out there. Was he hungry? Was he lonely? Was he scared? Was he playing? The little pup started to whine. He remembered what his mom had said, that his love for his brother would keep them connected forever and that he was only a thought away. He thought hard about his brother as much as he could to help his brother know he was still loved.

The little pup walked back to his mom and dad. “Mom, I want to find my brother,” he said. “When I get out there, I will look for him.”

“Little one, Mildred will find you a good home. It is a wild world out there on your own.”

As the pup was talking with his mom, Mildred was thinking it was a good time to let the dogs outside into the backyard to go potty. She did not know much about potty training, however, she wanted to teach them that being outside on the grass was the best place to go.

She took out a deep wicker basket and loaded the three pups inside. She called the pups’ mom and dad to join her. “Come on, Sweetie and Dapper, let’s go outside!” The mom and dad dogs followed behind her as she walked from the living room, her makeshift nursery, to her backyard.

The pups were eager to get out of the basket. Mildred made numerous efforts to keep them tucked inside as she walked to her backyard patio. She placed the basket on the patio and then said, “Okay, gang, time to run around and go potty.”

Mildred went back inside to finish her lunch preparations. She had a vegetable soup and boiled rice cooking on the stovetop. She had a seasoned cod fish baking in the oven.

The concerned little pup started looking for his brother. He ran all around the chain link fenced backyard. His brother and sister joined him. There was no sign of their missing brother. He barked out his brother’s name, but there was no answer. His brother had gone far away. As he held on to the gate of the fence, he whined with sadness and worry, wishing he could be on the other side.

The little pup ran to his mother and father. “My adventure will begin today,” he said. “I can’t wait for Mildred. There is a gap under this gate. I’m going to sneak under there and find my brother.”

His other brother and sister started barking, saying, “No, wait!” “We’ll miss you!” “It’s dangerous out there!”

The little pup said, “No, I’ve figured it out! If I leave on my own, I can come back here to visit mom and dad whenever I want. I have a better chance of seeing you all again someday. If I wait here, then I am truly lost forever and will never find my way back. The people will take me.”

His mom’s eyes watered. “Don’t go too far, son. I don’t want you to get hungry.”

“Mom, I have my nose. I can find food.”

“Of course you will,” she said to increase her confidence in him and his confidence in himself. “Our love will keep us together forever.”

The little pup squished himself down and squeezed under the gate. He was now on the other side, looking back at his parents, brother, and sister. “Our love will keep us together forever,” he repeated. “Remember, I am only a thought away. From the land of love I came and to the land of love we will return in the end.” He let out a few large barks, sniffed his family through the metal fence to kiss them goodbye, and then he turned his nose up to the world to sniff out his brother and his next meal.

Click here to read the second part of this story titled Dog on the Run.

Question: While keeping safety first in mind, how have you chosen your own adventure today? You can leave a comment by clicking here.