A Dog

Yesterday I saw to coyote pups playing behind my house. They were so precious playing just like dog puppies. They’re still small, about the size of a 6 month old German Shepard. My 90 pound, 5 year old German Shepard was going nuts at the window because she wanted to go out and play with then.

“They’re wild and their mom might be around,” I told my dog. “They don’t live the life of luxury like you do. Let them have their fun.”

My brother Max is here for a few days. He and his partners (Jayne, Pierce, and Elizabeth) are those Vampires of lore who go out and keep us all safe from monsters, and rogue soulless shadow creeping Vampires,, and Vampire Hunters, and not so nice things. They are the apex predators. I wouldn’t want their job, but I’m glad they do it.

Max told me about his last call over the weekend. “I was told there was a fiendish, ghoulish, Werewolf from absolute HELL in an abandoned warehouse by the edge of an industrial part of the city. When Jayne and I arrived we could hear something move, just a bit from behind some pallets. From the descriptions of a horrible, growling, red eyed monster, we expected to put up a fight.”

“What was it?” I asked seeing my brother’s expression soften.

“It was a large dog. A dog so abused and neglected that it no longer looked like a dog. It had mange so bad that it was crusted over, as if it had barnacles growing on it. The poor dog couldn’t even see because the mange had caused it’s eyes to be almost glued shut. As we got closer we wondered needlessly if it was going to attack. The poor dog didn’t have the energy to attack. It was all skin and bones.”

“Poor baby,” I said.

“To make the situation even sadder, it started to wag it’s tail. It didn’t even have the energy to stand but that tail started to wag. Jayne took off her jacket and wrapped it around the dog. We got it to a vet. I told him we’d pay whatever it took to get the dog right.”

“I can’t believe someone thought it was a Werewolf.”

“Most cases of Werewolves, or other unsavory creatures are nothing but dogs or coyotes, or even cats and foxes that people mistake as monsters. The real monsters are the people who abuse or abandon these poor creatures who only want love and a home.”

I was touched at my usually unsentimental brother speaking with such emotion. Then again, we grew up with animals and were taught to respect them, even those we were going to eat.

“The dog is female,” said Max. “I named her Luna because we found her in the night. The vet thinks she might be a Lab or Lab mix of some sort. It will be hard to tell until she recovers. She will recover.”

“You did a good thing,” I said.

He smiled at me showing a bit of fang. “I know. It feels good for a change.”

So go hug your dog, or your cat. When you adopt an animal, no matter if you get it from a breeder, from a shelter, or find it on the street, that adoption is forever. That animal is counting on you to love it and be with it forever. The worst fear, more than any horror movie, is being abandoned, and left by the people you love. Think twice if you aren’t ready to keep an animal for up to 15 or even 20 years. If you give an animal a home it is forever – for the rest of it’s life.

That is it for today. But before I go I have my usual few more words.

Wear your mask. Get vaccinated. Be kind. Don’t be a dick. Hug your kids. Talk to your kids. Listen to your kids. Don’t be a dream killer. Check in on those who are elderly or might need extra help. And kiss a Vampire (you’ll thank me for it later.)

~ Juliette aka Vampire Maman