The people who live behind us really shouldn’t have a dog.
They keep a thin mixed-breed puppy tied to a tree in their muddy backyard. It cries through the night. I’ve reported it to animal control three times, but since there’s a plastic bucket serving as shelter, they say it’s technically allowed.
My Rottweiler, Bruno, is the complete opposite. He lives inside, sleeps on my bed, and is part of the family.
This morning, I let Bruno out for a bathroom break. After about ten minutes, he hadn’t come back to the door.
I went out to check on him and found a huge hole dug under the wooden fence between our yards.
My heart dropped. I thought he had escaped.
I looked through the gap.
He hadn’t run off.
Bruno was on the other side, lying in the cold mud. He had dug through hard ground just to reach that chained puppy.
And what I saw stopped me.
Bruno had curled his big, warm body completely around the trembling little dog. The puppy was fast asleep, its head resting against Bruno’s neck, finally at peace.
He didn’t dig that hole to get away.
He dug it to comfort someone who couldn’t.
Later, I went over to the neighbor’s house with $200 and told them I wanted to take the puppy. They agreed.
Now the puppy is safe, stretched out on the sofa next to Bruno.
And the tunnel under the fence is finally closed.