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Fiction Friendship American

The first indication that this was not an ordinary day came when Dad called me to ‘come here’, lead and harness jingling in his hand. The harness means ‘car’, but ‘car’ can mean many things. Some are good, like ‘beach’, and ‘park’, and ‘home’. Some are not good, like ‘vet’, and ‘bath’, and… ‘vet’. But ‘vet’ is not all bad, they give treato’s for the goodest doggos. I’m always the goodest doggo. I’ve never bitten the vet lady, even when she sticks the coldest thing up my… well, never mind!


However, today we do not go to the vet lady, nor do we go to the bathing-wash place with the stinky bubbles. Today we take a longer car ride to a place I’ve never been. For the entire journey, I stick my head out the window and revel in the wind rushing toward me, pressing my ears back and whipping at my tongue. Such freedom, such simple pleasure. Don’t knock it till you try it. Next time you go on a trip, stick your head out of the window! You will see what I mean.


I used to go on trips with my Laura. She would lean her head out the window with me. We would howl together, she with laughter, and me, well I can’t laugh but I can howl. She would play her songs really loud, the beat always in time with my excited panting and wagging tail. Thump, thump, thump. It was living, I tell you, being alive and free and wild. Laura was wild, and she loved me with a fierce love, the kind that squishes you with squeezing arms and a face that’s mashed into fur. And kisses. She liked kisses. I would kiss her with wet, sloppy, loving kisses and she’d laugh and holler “Gross!” But she’d give them right back to me. Dozens of kisses every day.


Then she was gone. Lost. All those kisses lost and gone. All that was left was Mom and Dad. They love me too. But it isn’t the squishing kind of love. It’s the soft, gentle scratching kind of love. The treats on command kind of love. The quiet love of place and security. I learned to appreciate the gentleness, the calm and quiet. I learned to not miss Laura so much every day.


When Dad stops the car, I am less than sure of our destination. It is smellier here than anywhere I have ever been. The sharp pinch of burnt air in my nostrils makes me cough. It is also loud here, not just loud with noise, but with things and people and legs and wheeled trolleys. I jump and bark as one squeaking trolley rolls past me, surrounded by tired-smelling legs.


After I recover my composure, I have to take another sniff. Yes, the legs smell tired. The human attached to the legs giggles and calls me a sweetheart and a good boy. How is it that all the humans know about me and how good I am?


Being a dog in a human world is quite strange. I snuffle along, investigating as many scents as possible. I can smell the trace of another canine and my whole body wags with delight. I love meeting new friends! Around the corner, the new friend is busy with sniffing. Their sniffing is so intense that they don’t notice me, not at first. I woof, and the friend turns his head.

“Busy,” he says. That’s it, just one word and he snuffles along sniffing out the luggage that the human people have carted about with them. I admire the vest he wears, I wouldn’t mind wearing a vest like that.


My Laura used to dress me in vests. She used to tell me how smart and handsome I looked. She would say, “Rusty, you are the beautiful-est, handsome-est baby boy ever!” Then she would kiss my face and scratch my ears. How did she always know just where the itchy spot was? Her fingers were just magic.


My friend ignores me and barks twice at his owner, who rewards him with a treato, as he discovers the contents of the luggage my friend had sniffed. If only I could get treatos for barking. I try it, a nice loud bark, and I’m quickly shushed by Dad, who pulls me close to him. I continue with my sniffing. It’s an art form identifying all the myriad of smells. So many of them I have never smelled before.


We stop in a large open room where so many humans are waiting. I can smell them from here. Some smell nervous, others have that spiky tang of excitement which kind of makes me feel like bouncing around. I don’t, though. Dad has said sit, so I sit, perched on my rump like a coiled spring. If he were to let the leash go, I would run everywhere, go speak with everyone. I like them all. They are all my friends—except that man over there! He is wearing big boots. We all know the one and only person who wears boots like that. My nemesis, the postman. I growl. I can’t help it. Those boots make me nervous.


“Shh, Rusty, boy!” Dad says. But he doesn’t know how hard that is. I fix my eyes on the boots. If they come closer, I will not be held responsible for the consequences. That’s right, you stay well over there boots man.


“Rusty!” My name is a long, slow warning growl from Dad’s lips, so I settle back down. I hadn’t realized I was growling under my breath, but obviously Dad heard it.


There is a shift in the air, a change in the smell. Excitement smells like summer days, happy and warm, and it fills my nose. The humans about me begin to shuffle towards the big glass doors. Every now and then the doors slide open, and a human or two walks through, pulling trollies piled high with luggage and met with hugs and kisses. I too like hugs and kisses, so I stand up and pull on the leash. Surely some of those kisses could be sent my way!


“Sit, Rusty!” I humph and sit back down. Waiting is the worst. Especially when there are friends to be made. They would love me if only I could get closer to them.


Finally Dad stands and we move toward the door. I can smell the excitement wafting from him and something else too. It’s kind of sad. I don’t like it when Dad is sad. He was sad a lot when my Laura left. We would huddle together on the couch, his arms about me just stroking my fur, while I rested my head on his lap. I’d never smelled him so sad, so alone, like the smell of a rainy day. Mom was sad then too, but she smiled through it. But I could still smell her sadness, and some kind of fear or worry, sharp like the prickles in the lawn that attach themselves to my coat and get in between my paws. Mom doesn’t smell like that now though, it’s not the same kind of sad, and I’m puzzled.


Mom says something, I heard my name and I look at her. She is smiling with all her teeth. I know that means good things in human language, but sometimes it can be bad too. Human language is so confusing sometimes. She is pointing and her eyes are leaking.


I look to where she is pointing, maybe she has thrown a ball. Sometimes she does that. The first thing I see are the boots. More heavy postman boots are coming toward me and so I growl.


“Rusty!” I hear my name again, but I’m not sure who spoke. I see the boots are attached to legs, but they seem to be very strange. I wish I could see colors properly because the legs are covered in a weird brownish gray pattern that seems to blend with the background. It’s like a ghost is moving towards me and I rush at it in an attempt to frighten it away from Mom and Dad, I know my job is to protect, and I do take that very seriously. As the ghost reaches for me, I scamper away, tail tucked tight between my legs.


“Rusty!” My name again, and I recognize the voice from somewhere. It’s not Mom or Dad. Who is speaking? I’m not sure, it’s been so long. I sniff. The scent is weird. It smells like tired, like sunsets and sandy, strange, faraway lands. But underneath… there is something… a note… a hint? I sniff again cautiously, avoiding hands that are trying to reach for me. It’s a tactic that I use when I’m not sure, run in close, sniff and retreat quickly. I do this two or three times, while all about there is laughter. It’s the laughter that triggers my memory. Wind in my face, howling with laughter.


With a cautious wag of my tail, I scamper a bit closer and look up into a face. It’s older, darker, more weathered and there are shadows in the eyes that were never there before, but I’m nearly sure, or possibly sure, or it just might be…


“Rusty, baby boy!” Arms are open wide, and I am drawn in by the smell of joy, pure joy, like flowers opening in spring. I sneeze. Joy does that to me every time.


Fingers trace my head and ears, familiar fingers. That’s all it takes. The sensation of joy ripples all over me and I can not contain it. My whole body begins to wag and I bounce and prance like a puppy. It’s Laura, I’m sure of it. Yes? No? Yes, it is. I lick her face. It tastes like Laura! Oh my goodness, oh my goodness! I cry and bounce and pounce. She is crouched on the floor with me and we end up rolling on the ground together, and I lick her precious face while she gives me the squishy hug I have been missing. I can barely stay still long enough to receive it. I have to tell everybody! Laura is here, she’s back! Oh my gosh, oh my! She laughs. I love her laugh. I wish I could laugh too, but all I can do is make those little sounds, the ones that explode from my throat without control.


“Oh Rusty, boy. I have missed you too!”


My Laura picks herself up from the floor, but I won’t let her leave me again. I jump. I know not to jump, but I just have to put my paws on her, to claim her as mine, and get my sloppy kisses to her face. She doesn’t tell me off. I can taste the salty sting on her cheeks, but she is laughing. I sniff just to check. Yep, no sadness, only joy. I sneeze, right in her face.


“Oh, Rusty! Gross!”


She gathers my lead and I prance about my whole body wagging, the happiness is uncontrollable. She hugs Mom and Dad, and then hugs me again. We begin to walk, or at least they walk. I bounce. I just can’t control it.


A strange man stops to say, “Thank you for your service, Ma’am.” I don’t even notice his boots. I’m too caught up in my joy. Sneeze. I found my lost Laura, and that is the only thing that matters.

April 01, 2023 13:41

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38 comments

Helen A Smith
07:09 Apr 10, 2023

I love the way you expressed everything through the eyes of the dog and his world of smells. I was anticipating what would happen next. Were they in a hospital? You kept me guessing. Such a greats characters, specially Rusty and Laura, all topped off by and happy ending. I’m guessing Laura is in the army and the visit is just a temporary one, so there’s a tinge of sadness too. I enjoyed reading.

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Michelle Oliver
07:56 Apr 10, 2023

Thanks Helen, yeah, I was inspired by the videos of returned service men and women being greeted by their dogs at the airport. Happy and sad at the same time.

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Zatoichi Mifune
15:23 Jul 17, 2023

Wow. Beautiful. Dog's POV is done perfectly, love his name too. Rusty. 'How is it that all the humans know about me and how good I am?' I laughed out loud. Not the kind of thing you expect when coming into a story! Hospital, airport, something else?

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Michelle Oliver
22:29 Jul 17, 2023

Thanks for reading. A dogs wouldn’t know what the place is, so to be consistent with the dog’s pov neither does the reader. It’s an airport and the daughter is returning from military service.

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Amanda Lieser
05:22 Apr 27, 2023

Hi Michelle! I loved this story ten times more because of your profile picture. :) I thought you did an excellent job of capturing the chaos of a dog’s mind and how the little things in life can be so valuable to our animals. Their excitement for the world, hope for adventure, and good nature can be a true inspiration. I also loved the way this story was structured because it made me feel like I was bouncing with this dog’s energy as well. The final detail for our service men and women was beautiful and tied the piece up in a lovely little b...

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Michelle Oliver
09:59 Apr 27, 2023

Thanks for reading, yes my pic is my Labrador called Baloo. He is manic and I definitely drew upon his energy for the story.

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Jennifer Fremon
14:08 Apr 12, 2023

As a dog owner for many many years I loved this story so much!

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Michelle Oliver
14:16 Apr 12, 2023

Thanks, dogs are such great companions and inspiration for stories!

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R. S. Writes
05:30 Apr 12, 2023

I am not a dog person but you got me almost wishing for a dog like this. You really captured the way they must perceive the world of humans. This was entertaining, touching and well-crafted story!

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Michelle Oliver
06:55 Apr 12, 2023

Thank you!

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Shelby Gremel
15:30 Apr 11, 2023

I thoroughly enjoyed this story! I loved Rusty's pureness, and he felt just as real as any other character. I love stories told from innocent eyes - like animals or children. You captured every emotion he was feeling and sniffing, and I loved the little bits about the different types of love he feels from Mom and Dad versus Laura. Amazing story!

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Michelle Oliver
23:31 Apr 11, 2023

Thanks Shelby, dogs are great to write about. They are full of love, so I would think they know all sorts of love. I feel that like the Greeks, they would have different words for all the different kinds of love.

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S Garnett
21:17 Apr 10, 2023

What a wonderful, wonderful story!!!

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Michelle Oliver
21:54 Apr 10, 2023

Thanks. It seems we both went down the path of dogs this week. Yours a lost dog, mine a lost dog owner.

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Megan Negus
17:09 Apr 10, 2023

Such an amazing, heart-warming story! Your perspective is spot on, your characters are well thought out, and your descriptions from the point of view of a dog are so incredible! Rusty may be the goodest boy, but this piece is the greatest!

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Michelle Oliver
21:52 Apr 10, 2023

Thanks writing from a dogs pov is so much fun, because they are just full of love.

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Russell Mickler
02:10 Apr 10, 2023

Hey there, Michelle! Right out of the gate, your voice has the enthusiastic timbre of a dog - I was totally on-board by the second second sentence :) I also liked the perspective of the world through legs :) The drop in the piece with Laura was excellent… I could sense something was coming but I couldn’t put my finger on it … Rusty’s interpretation loss adds more depth to the character. Oh, okay, I wasn’t quite sure what was going on until the very end. I liked the suspense you carried right to the final para. I thought it was a beautifu...

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Michelle Oliver
02:25 Apr 10, 2023

Thanks Russell. Dogs are such joyous creatures that the energy was fun to write.

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Kathryn Kahn
17:30 Apr 09, 2023

I always love your stories, Michelle, and this is one of my favorites. The voice of the dog is absolutely perfect.

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Michelle Oliver
20:06 Apr 09, 2023

Thank you

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Daniel Dundin
17:58 Apr 08, 2023

Oh my gosh! So touching and beautifully written! I can picture every bit of Rusty's journey!

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Michelle Oliver
12:38 Apr 11, 2023

Thanks Daniel, glad you enjoyed it.

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Delbert Griffith
11:20 Apr 07, 2023

What an amazing doggy POV you have, Michelle. You should bill yourself as The Dog Whisperer, and I will stand by you - and have words with anyone who says otherwise. LOL It feels so authentic and relatable. As a bonus, we get the parents' emotions through doggy eyes; this was a masterful piece of writing. The story is shown, not told. Beautifully done, my friend. Favorite line: "Excitement smells like summer days, happy and warm, and it fills my nose." Just beautifully understated and evocative. Nicely done, my friend. Nicely done indeed...

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Michelle Oliver
11:27 Apr 07, 2023

Thanks Delbert. Dogs are such simple creatures to write about, they are all love! Well at least mine is, he has no brain, just heart.

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Michał Przywara
20:43 Apr 06, 2023

Funny and touching :) And the dog descriptions, the mannerisms, are right on, as others have pointed out. My dog passed a while ago, but the behaviours your narrator exhibited immediately brought back pleasant memories. "Some are not good, like ‘vet’, and ‘bath’, and… ‘vet’." :) "How is it that all the humans know about me and how good I am?" Heh, you know, that's a great point. I wasn't expecting the twist at the end. Naturally, as we read we're wondering why Laura is gone. Initially, maybe she died, but then we quickly realize we're ...

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Michelle Oliver
22:34 Apr 06, 2023

Thanks Michal, I was inspired by those viral videos of returning servicemen and women who are met by their dogs at the airport. I love the ones where the dog doesn’t recognise them at first., but when they work it out, they almost explode with joy. I’m happy that you enjoyed the story.

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Viga Boland
23:00 Apr 04, 2023

Another beautiful Michelle Oliver story starring my favorite pet : a dog. And what a perfect way to discover the cause of Rusty’s joy. Excellent. Unexpected. Complete. So easy to me to see Rusty because that’s exactly the way our little Duffy acts whenever my daughter and /or her husband come home. His joy is boundless in that little rump just wiggles left and right in excitement. How well you have captured that doggie excitement and love. 👏👏

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Michelle Oliver
08:40 Apr 05, 2023

Thank you Viga. The inspiration comes from my own boofy Labrador who is just as excited to see you when you walk in the door.

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Chris Campbell
06:40 Apr 03, 2023

I can relate so much to this story, Michelle. Having a dog, I recognise all the traits you describe here. My dog is like that every day my other half arrives home, and it's kisses kisses kisses and jumping all over her. This was a funny, intuitive, and heartwarming story. I like this one very much. Well done!

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Michelle Oliver
08:04 Apr 03, 2023

Thanks Chris. Dogs are such boof heads that provide lots of love and inspiration for all sorts of stories. My boofy lab is just the same. If you walk out the door and return for your keys, it’s like you’ve been gone forever!

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Stevie Burges
03:55 Apr 02, 2023

Well, I'm such a sucker for an animal story, and this was lovely. I could almost feel my fingers in Rusty's coat. I, too, am always impressed by how quickly you can get a story written. Takes me ages just to get the story. Many thanks for writing.

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Michelle Oliver
04:21 Apr 02, 2023

Quick is not always best, I often have mistakes that I miss, but if I don’t get most of the story written on the weekend, my real life during the week leaves no time for writing. Thanks for reading and leaving a comment Stevie.

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Darryl Roberts
23:25 Apr 01, 2023

Doggy shenanigans and a viral moment captured in prose. Nice.

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Michelle Oliver
00:44 Apr 02, 2023

Oh yes those “dog doesn’t recognise owner at first” videos flood my newsfeed with happy hormones. That’s what I thought of when I read the prompt, how happy those dogs were when they found their owners again.

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Kevin V
21:24 Apr 01, 2023

I loved this Michelle! So touching, and the doggish mannerisms feel spot on! - perched on my rump like a coiled spring... I can almost see him squirming. While this can be any dog, I picture a lab for whatever reason. They always seem happy and lovable and barely able to control their excitement. And when he figures out it's Laura, well, it got me. Really good job there! Thank you for sharing.

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Michelle Oliver
22:28 Apr 01, 2023

Yes, a lab would fit… I have a lab so I was drawing on him for my doggy inspiration. Thanks for reading this story.

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Mary Bendickson
18:27 Apr 01, 2023

Oh, oh, oh! Michelle, What a happy pup you are! What a fun story. (Next to last paragraph dropped a 't' on 'he'. Think you meant 'the'.) Otherwise perfect description doggo view. Thanks for liking and commenting on my directing fiasco. How do you put out such a clever story so soon after the prompts come out?

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Michelle Oliver
22:26 Apr 01, 2023

Thanks Mary, I will fix that now. I just write and sometimes it’s hard and sometimes it’s easy. Finding the story is the hardest part. It took a while but once I found this story, it kind of wrote itself.

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