When a family adopted a dog named Baby, everyone was excited to make him an official family member. The puppy was doted on constantly and given hugs and kisses on demand. He was played with and joyfully went on daily walks. Baby grew accustomed to a beautiful life with his human parents and his human sibling named Mark. Mark was an intelligent kid and soon earned a scholarship to a top-notch university. When it was time to go off to school, Mark said his goodbyes to his parents and to Baby, whom he would miss terribly.
Mark got involved with school and rarely made it home to visit. But when he did, he made sure to spend time with Baby. After graduation, Mark took a job that was a distance away and didn’t have time to come home to visit except for the occasional holiday gathering. Then tragedy struck: both of Mark’s parents died in an accident, leaving Baby all alone.
The now ten-year-old dog soon moved in with Mark, and they both tried to rekindle their relationship. It took time and effort, but finally, they got into the groove of things. Mark took Baby on daily walks every morning before work, which was Baby’s favorite time of day. But one morning, things didn’t go as expected.
Mark had an important early meeting at work and overslept. He fed Baby, but when the dog stood in Mark’s way, eager to go for a walk with his tail wagging, Mark yelled at him. He told Baby to go lie down and Baby, defeated and upset, crawled into his bed with his tail between his legs. The exchange riddled Mark with guilt. While Mark’s morning meeting was successful, his day dragged on and he felt terrible. Once the work day was finished, he came home with his head hung low. He knew he had been cruel to Baby, who didn’t deserve it.
But amazingly, when Mark opened the door at the end of the day to go inside and apologize to Baby, the dog greeted him as soon as he heard the key enter the lock. While Baby likely forgot what had happened that morning, Mark never will. You see, a dog’s love and loyalty are the greatest gifts that should never be taken for granted. The man learned his lesson and was never unkind to Baby again.
Toledo, United States.
