Rex was such a beautiful puppy when I first saw him. Happening down an alleyway, I noticed how his brown and black fur coat seemed almost incapable of containing his excitement or hiding his enthusiasm. He jumped, leaped, pawed and hurled himself until it seemed as though he might come right out of his skin in his zest to express his happiness.
Whenever someone would pass by the gate near the spot where he was tethered, he would run to greet them, to play with them, to share his life with them. But the chain would pull his head with a quick snap, jerking him right off his feet.
He had so much life inside, so much he wanted to see and so much to share that he would jump up again and again, pulling and lunging until he would fall down panting for air that had been forced from his throat by the unrelenting collar.
His eyes and cries would follow the children down the alley way pleading, “ Please play with me. We could have such fun. I want to come with you but I cannot. Each time I try, something stops me. Please, please don’t go away” But as always, the yard became quiet, cold and lonely.
A long time passed before I found the opportunity to wander that way again. I looked for Rex but I did not see him. Instead in the yard was a large, ugly, brown and black dog. He was chained to a steel rod anchored down in the frozen ground. His hair bristled at the sight of me and his teeth flashed. He ran at me growling deeply, his head yanked back as he reached the full extent of the chain. His eyes were filled with hatred. They seemed to say, “ If it were not for this thing, I would leap forward and sink my teeth in your throat.” The large red letters on the white fence read, “Danger. Beware of Dog”
I moved on quickly, wondering whatever became of my friend Rex.
- Doug Garrett