A small light brown and white mixed breed dog with floppy ears and curious expression stands outdoors on paved stone flooring, soft daylight suggests late afternoon. 5:41

The stray puppy who followed a couple home

A stray puppy picks out a couple on the street and decides, on the spot, that they're his. The two of them don't stand a chance. more

He trails them down the street at a trot, close enough to be noticed and too small to be any trouble. By their own account they tried to send him away, though the account comes with a hand scratching behind his ears and under his jaw, and a puppy knows what that means. From there he sticks to their heels the whole way home.

The front door is the first real test. He stops at the step with his tail going so hard it shakes the rest of him, and even so he needs a moment before he can make himself cross. Then he is in, and the street is behind him.

A small light brown and white mixed breed dog with floppy ears and curious expression stands outdoors on paved stone flooring, soft daylight suggests late afternoon. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
A stray puppy picks out a couple on the street and decides, on the spot, that they're his.

First stop is the shower. The dirt comes off, and he turns out to be so thirsty that he drinks the water as it runs down over him. The face that looks up from the bath is mostly eyes.

A small wet puppy with brown fur and large eyes looks straight at the camera. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Fresh from the shower, where he was thirsty enough to drink the water as it ran.

Brushed and dried, he turns out to be a small light brown and white pup with floppy ears. He's no special breed, and nobody in that house cares.

By now he's done in. He finds the heater and sits down in front of it, close to the glow, and his eyes begin to close.

What follows is a small fight with sleep. His head dips and he catches himself and sits back up, again and again, the way a dog sleeps when he has learned to stay on guard. He's warm and clean and fed up with being awake, and still he will not lie down.

A small brown dog sits with eyes closed, facing left, beside a glowing heater with horizontal bars. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Too tired to stay awake and too wary to lie down, he nods off upright in front of the heater.

Then he trusts the room enough to let go. He tips over sideways and sleeps flat out, which is the whole story in one picture. A dog asked to be loved, and two people said okay. When he wakes up, he'll still be home.

#puppies#adoption