It was silent when I left, nothing but the click of the door and the occasional call of a crow to break the emptiness. I took a deep breath of the crisp morning air, revelling in the way it poured into my body, refreshing and clean.

Ten steps was all it took. Ten steps to bring me within viewing distance of the front window, and it was all shattered. A high pitched yelp of dismay brought the serene world crashing down around me. A quick glance over my shoulder revealed that I had left the window open just a crack, just enough for the noise to seep out and pollute the world around me.

I hastened my steps as the barking continued behind me, the barking of a dog left all alone – locked up while her humans went out and played.

Photo courtesy of ascappatura

There wasn’t a soul around and I figured that once I was out of sight she would quiet, so there wasn’t much point going back to close the window and calm her down. Halfway down the block the noise began to fade, swallowed up by the distance I had put between us.

A sigh of relief escaped my lips as the barks began to slow. There, you see, I was right.

Pfft.

She must have said something to the effect of, “There goes my human, don’t let her get away!!” because her chorus was taken up, one by one, by every dog on the block… and down the street.

As I walked, the admonition followed me, dogging my every step. Pardon the expression. The cries of all the puppies who had felt her pain, her loneliness.

I wasn’t gone long – maybe ten minutes. When I arrived back at the house I wasn’t greeted with the usual panting and attempted kisses. She took one look at me, I swear she tipped her nose into the air, and walked away.

Should have gone back…