I love my owner. He freed me from the crowded cage and carried me home in his arms. I love my owner.
I love my owner. He took me on a walk today. It’s amazing outside. I love my owner.
I love my owner. I accidentally peed on the floor. He yelled and threw a big wad of paper at me. It’s not my fault. He forgot to walk me today. I love my owner.
I love my owner. He hasn’t fed me in a few days. I tried barking yesterday to remind him. He just hit me. It didn’t hurt. I love my owner.
I love my owner. He finally noticed I had no food. He gave me some that smelled funny, but I know he would never give me anything bad. I love my owner.
I love my owner. I got sick and threw up. I think it was the food. He got mad at me though. I love my owner.
I love my owner. He put me in the small dark room where he keeps his clothes. Earlier I saw a squirrel outside and barked. I forgot he hates that. I love my owner.
I love my owner. I tried getting into the bucket where he puts all his leftovers, but it fell over. He kicked me.
I love my owner. He came home really angry today, but I don’t think I did anything. I went over to him to make him feel better. He threw his boot at me.
I love my owner. It’s painful for me to breathe. I hope this means he won’t hit me again. Maybe he’ll help me.
I love my owner. I whimpered a little today to show him something was wrong, but he yelled at me. He’ll notice at some point.
I love my owner. I decided not to get up today, not even for him. I felt sad and hurt.
I love my owner. He took me to a nice lady today. She started checking all over my body. Maybe this means he does care about me, after all.
I love my owner. He gave me some medicine that made me feel better. I knew he cared about me.
It’s been a week. He hasn’t given me that medicine since. I nudged him to remind him. He kicked me. I howled in pain. He clamped his hand over my snout.
There’s something on my snout. It keeps me from eating or drinking or making noises. It’s really tight. I hope he takes it off soon.
Someone was at the door today. I tried to squeeze through when he started to open it. He got mad.
I have a new collar now. He grabs it, and then it chokes me. Sometimes he’ll just stand there, laughing, and dangle me by my collar, so I can’t breathe.
I managed to get my muzzle off today. It felt so much better. When he got home, he saw the ripped up muzzle. He kicked me.
He brought a new muzzle home. This one is a lot thicker, and it has spikes that hurt me whenever I try scratching at it. He made it even tighter than the last one.
Some people knocked at the door today, but he didn’t answer it. They left something on the door that he brought inside and crumpled up. He glared at me then locked me inside the dark room.
The people came back today, I could hear them talking. They started going through the house. “No dog here,” he said.
They came again when he wasn’t here. I wasn’t in the dark room for once. They found me.
I’m back in a crowded cage. A lot of people pass by, but they never look at me. I don’t want them to look at me. Don’t look at me.
A new person came and stopped in front of my cage. She keeps coming back. She always looks at me sadly.
She took me to a house that smelled like her today. Maybe this means she is my new owner. I don’t know how to feel.
She feeds me and walks me everyday and gives me treats. She even lets me sleep in her bed. I love my owner.
She came home crying today. I walked over to her slowly, and she wrapped her arms around my neck and cried. She actually let me comfort her. I love my owner.
We go out for runs a lot. I’m always more tired than she is afterwards. She doesn’t mind though. I love my owner.
I love my owner. I barked today when she got home. She just laughed. It felt good to bark again. I love my owner.
I love my owner. I take naps a lot. She likes to take them with me after she gets home. I like when she does that. I love my owner.
I love my owner. I threw up today. She looked sad and cleaned it up. I don’t want to make her sad. I love my owner.
I love my owner. I felt really tired today, so I didn’t get up. I wasn’t even hungry. I don’t even remember if she came home today. I love my owner.
I love my owner. She brought me to another nice lady. She was crying, so I licked her face to make her feel better. Then I felt a pinch, and all of a sudden, I was tired. I wanted to stay awake to help her. I tried. I couldn’t. I hope she’s alright. I love my owner.
This is an installment in The Retriever’s new creative writing section. If you would like to submit your creative writing or art for possible publication in The Retriever, please contact pawsforartsubmissions@gmail.com. For questions, contact ceyda1@umbc.edu.
