Sooner or later, everyone gets a dog. And some, bless them, take in ordinary strays from the streets or shelters. AdmiGram.com shares a heartbreaking story told by one of our readers.
A Sad Story About Strays and Our Fears
I’ll be honest, I don’t consider myself an animal lover or a dog enthusiast. I treat animals the way most normal people do. As for dogs, I’m still afraid of them, even after what happened to me a couple of years ago. We all fear animals, especially the feral ones. I bet you’ve had a dream at least once where a big dog chased you and bit your leg.
Even in dreams, it’s unpleasant, not to mention real bites, ruined clothes, and the mandatory preventive shots at the clinic. Thank God, I’ve been spared such “surprises” so far. But some of my coworkers haven’t been so lucky. So, you could say I know how unpleasant it can be. Speaking of work and strays.
We work in shifts, 24 hours on, 72 hours off. Sometimes, to save time and avoid waiting at the bus stop in the morning, we cut through a gas station and a fenced apple orchard. Stray dogs that have settled there often bark at us from the gas station. Some even get bold enough to come up close. If we’re lucky, the men from the gas station shoo them away. If not, I always carry firecrackers in my bag. They scare off any dog that gets too close.
I try not to go through the gas station to avoid the pack. Usually, I turn right and go through the orchard. Everything was fine until one day. I don’t know where this stray came from, but it seemed to be waiting for me by the path, as if to follow me. A big, shaggy creature literally trailed me. Thank God, it didn’t bark or bite but just methodically followed me. I mustered all my courage, trying not to show the dog that I was scared to death. I just kept walking to the bus stop, praying it wouldn’t attack from behind.
That fateful day, everything was the same. As soon as I stepped onto the path, the dirty, scary stray followed me. Repeating my usual calming mantra, I methodically counted the decreasing distance to the bus stop. Halfway there, I saw a man. I was so relieved to see another person on my path. But then everything happened so quickly that I barely remember it.
He had a knife in his hand and was coming at me. I froze, coming back to reality only when that shaggy stray jumped at him from behind. I remember running and running until I saw the road and people. After that came a blur of police reports, an investigation, and the news that the stray hadn’t survived its injuries. After what happened, I couldn’t go back to my job like nothing had changed. Soon, I moved to another city.
In my new place, I always take out the trash before heading to work. One day, near the dumpsters, I saw a lonely little puppy with a broken leg. He stared at me with sad black eyes. Memories flooded back. It felt like the universe had sent that stray back to me in the form of this puppy — the same way I’d never even thought to toss that dog a piece of bread. I broke down and took the puppy home. We healed his leg and became friends. But every time I look into his eyes, I see that stray who didn’t hesitate to give its life for me.
image on top: Laura Cárdenas / Flickr
