I was unable to tolerate my neighbor’s dog for years. He would bark like he was raising an alarm each time I got home from work. Out loud. unrelenting. Sometimes I would think, “That dog is going to start again,” even before I turned the corner onto my street. In contrast, my wife’s heart was softer. She claimed that he was not adequately cared for by the neighbors. I occasionally caught her throwing chicken fragments over the fence. “At least someone should feed him,” she said. Additionally, she would ask me to give him something on days when she was busy. It wasn’t fun for me. It was only because she asked that I did it. Years went by. The barking continued. It was incorporated into
the backdrop. It’s familiar, but annoying. steady. An indication that everything was exactly as it had always been. Then my wife became ill one day. We were in the hospital for a few days. Something didn’t feel right when we got home. There was silence in the street. Too silent. Don’t bark. The neighbor’s yard is silent. My wife was the first to notice. She said, “Have you heard that?” I didn’t. That’s what frightened us. We exchanged glances. Concerned. Whether we liked it or not, that dog had become a part of our everyday lives. All the barking that used to irritate me was drowned out by his silence. I went to the neighbor’s house. Their yard appeared deserted. Nobody knocked on the door. When
When I peered over the fence, I saw the dog in the center of a pile of trash bags. slim. Still. He barely raised his head. They were no longer there. and abandoned him. I didn’t hesitate. I carried him home after picking him up. We hurried him to the veterinarian. Despite being severely malnourished and dehydrated, he managed to survive. We now had a decision to make. How would we handle him? The solution was clear. He remains with us. He still barks at me every day when I get home. As usual. However, I now understand why. It wasn’t hateful barking. It was acknowledgment. It was his only means of communication. Of stating that he remained there. That individual
remained important to him. Despite his loneliness, we were the only people who ever showed him even a small act of kindness, so he barked. And now, the only sound I want to hear constantly is that bark. He is now a member of the family. And for that, I adore him.
Credit goes to the respective owner…❤️