A poor boy who worked at a warehouse near a closed bike shop noticed a scruffy dog visiting the store daily without fail. Curious to see where it was going, he followed it one day and discovered a heartbreaking secret.
18-year-old Chris was a seasoned market worker who had seen his fair share of street animals. But Ollie, a Shiba Inu, was quite different. He was friendly, well-mannered, and too well-groomed to be a stray dog.
When Chris first met Ollie, he found him standing in front of a closed bike shop, just staring at the huge glass panes. Friends at work told him that the dog belonged to the store owner, who suddenly stopped coming to work for several weeks.
Chris was upset whenever he saw the poor dog. He loved canines and was annoyed by how somebody could abandon their beloved pet on the streets and disappear just like that. So one day before heading to the café for lunch, he patted the dog on his head and gently said, “Hey there, Ollie…Want a sandwich, boy?”
From that day on, the curious dog would sprint towards Chris every lunch hour, wagging his tail excitedly at the sight of Chris’s lunchbox. But instead of devouring the snack, the dog would snatch it and disappear with the meal tightly clamped between his jaws…
Watching Ollie dash away with the meal every day and then return to the same spot until closing time left Chris worried and curious. At first, he assumed that Ollie must be having a litter of puppies somewhere and was taking the food to feed them. But Ollie was a male dog, and his unusual behavior didn’t quite add up.
With each passing day, Chris grew increasingly worried as he watched the mutt’s energy fade away. Ollie’s once-glossy coat was becoming dull, and he seemed to be troubled by an unknown source of distress. Chris even thought it could be due to abandonment, but he couldn’t quite put the finger on anything.
“Where is he going with the food without even taking a bite?”
One day during lunchtime, Chris watched as Ollie wagged his tail, excitedly licking his chops at the sight of the sandwich, only to snatch it and bolt away as usual. It left Chris pondering and more worried.
“If Ollie doesn’t have puppies and his owner has abandoned him, then where is he taking the food every day?” he suspected.
“Ollie, where are you going?” Chris called out as he chased after the dog. But the mutt wouldn’t slow down or look back and just disappeared out of the marketplace, leaving Chris in a cloud of dust.
“Weird dog!” Frustrated and confused, Chris shook his head and returned to work, unable to shake the sight of Ollie running off with the food.
Chris’s mind raced with several thoughts of where the dog was going daily, but he couldn’t pinpoint anything.
As Chris finished his shift and stepped out into the frosty night air to go home that evening, he spotted Ollie sitting outside the closed bike shop. The dog’s eyes were fixed on the glass panes, and he let out a soft whine when he saw Chris approaching.
Chris’s heart sank at the sight of the poor lonely dog, who he had grown to care for deeply over the past few days. The bond between the two had grown stronger, and Chris realized that Ollie was more than just a weird dog.
He was a loyal and loving friend who had touched his heart, and the sight of Ollie sitting there, alone and sad, tugged at Chris’s heartstrings. He knew he had to do something to help him.
As he walked toward Ollie, Chris made a silent promise to himself never to let the poor animal feel lonely again. He knelt down, gently stroked Ollie’s head with a heavy heart, and whispered, “You’re not alone, buddy! I’m here for you.”
Chris’s compassion and concern for Ollie pushed him to make a difficult decision — to take the poor dog home with him. However, there was a small problem that stood his way. Chris shared a rented apartment with his girlfriend Mila, who was not particularly fond of pets, especially dogs.
Chris knew that adding a dog to their household was a big, risky move, and his girlfriend would certainly disagree. But he couldn’t leave the poor creature alone on the streets.
So that evening, he silently approached the dog and offered him a cookie before fastening a leash to his collar. Ollie was terrified and tried to break free, but Chris calmed him down and took him along.
Chris’s heart raced with joy and anxiety as he walked home with Ollie. He knew Mila wouldn’t be thrilled about the new addition to their household. But he trusted his decision and was determined to somehow convince her to keep the dog.
With each step, Chris promised himself he would provide a safe haven for Ollie. But his heart sank when he got home and looked into his girlfriend’s furious eyes. Mila was beyond mad when she saw the dog.
“What on earth is this dog doing here?” Mila fumed at Chris when she saw Ollie peeping from behind his legs, staring at her with his big, brown eyes glowing with despair.
“Take that thing away,” she added, stepping back with disgust.
“Babe, he has nobody to take care of him…and he means no harm, okay? Please, can we have him? He is abandoned, and I found him in the market…Just look at him…he’s such an amazing dog, and I’m sure you’ll fall in love with him…just give him some time, babe…please. He needs us…he needs a loving home, and we have plenty of space in our apartment.”
But Mila was too annoyed and stubborn to listen any further.
“Do you want us to wake up to his mid-morning howls gnawing at our brains to take him for a walk, Chris? Are you outta your mind? You cannot just bring any stray dog here…This is not an animal shelter. We have plenty of problems, and we’re already struggling. We cannot have him,” she yelled at Chris.
“And I’m not gonna wake up every morning with a doggie bag in my hand, waiting to pick up fresh, warm poo, okay? And this thing will shed a lot…just look at his thick fur. You know I’m allergic to dogs…and I don’t want to get bitten. Look, I’m not welcoming this dog home, and that’s it. Take him outta here before I….”
