Big Dawg
[You decide to foster a dog who is bigger than expected.]
Your beloved dog had passed away not too long ago, and while time helped you heal, you missed having a furry friend to cuddle and play with.
Your friend Sam at the animal shelter suggested you try fostering one of their dogs.
She helped you fill things out and she linked you to the website where you could browse through your choices at home.
Your dog was medium sized and so was her doggy door, so you looked through the dogs listed in that size.
That’s when you saw it, a dog with the goofiest looking face you ever did see named “Doug”.
According to Doug’s profile, his original owner tried training him but deemed him too lazy and prone to disappearing for days before being returned.
Doug’s owner eventually forfeited ownership after animal control found him miles away in your town. He was taken in by your local animal shelter since then and has been in and out of homes due to running away and general misbehavior.
Your previous dog was a rescue with her own bad habits and you learned how to help her improve. You could handle it, how hard could it be?
~*~
The day came when Sam would arrive to your house with Doug.
The doorbell rang and you heard a deep “Woof.”Not a normal dog sounding woof, it was more like a bored man saying the word “Woof” out loud.
You open the door and let your friend step inside as she led in the biggest “medium” sized dog in existence wearing a muzzle.
Sam: Hi! Thanks again for doing this, it really helps the shelter and the dogs. Especially this big guy!
Sam confidently removes the muzzle and scratches behind the white dog’s floppy ears.
Sam: Don’t worry about the muzzle, Doug doesn’t bite, the town just wants certain breeds of big dogs wearing muzzles during daylight hours when kids are outside.
You: THIS is Doug?
Doug: Woof.
You: That was HIM!?
Sam: He’s a weird dog.
You: The website said he was a medium sized dog, his shoulders are too wide for the doggy door!
Sam takes out her phone and navigates to the animal shelter website to look up Doug’s profile.
Sam: God damn it. I’m sorry! The company that funds our shelters practically owns us, and has started having us use AI to organize the websites.
Sam: It must have gotten confused with the sizes. Ugh, I’ll have to tell them to fix that.
Sam: Does that mean you don’t want to foster Doug? You can still exchange him for a smaller dog.
You look down at the big white dog laying down and snoring away on your living room carpet. Your last dog was a big snorer too….
You: He can stay. I’ll figure something out.
Sam: Let me know if you need anything. Doug’s really mellowed out since he got neutered, so he hasn’t tried running away the last few times he was fostered.
Sam: But he still loves to go for… W.A.L.Ks.
You follow Sam’s glance towards the sleeping dog when you notice his folded ear perk up before flopping back down. Sam waits until he starts snoring again.
Sam: I think he’s learning how to spell. He’s smarter than he looks.
Sam: He’ll let you know when he needs anything but I emailed you instructions and tips just in case. Our foster program covers his vet bills and food, but it’s the cheap kibble sold to most shelters.
You: His profile said general misbehavior, anything I should watch out for?
Sam: He has a bit of an attitude problem? He has to do things his way or he misbehaves until he gets what he wants.
Sam: He also has days when he just wants to lay in bed all day. They say he’s being lazy, but I think he’s actually just sad.
You: Because he keeps getting rehomed?
Sam: Maybe. I’ll look into his history when I have time.
Sam: I have some extra big bowls in my car with his food if you need them, and some big dog toys.
You: Yeah, he might inhale the… everything I have.
~*~
You help her bring in the large bag of kibble while she carries in a large bag of treats, toys, and bowls.
You: No bed? His massive head could use the medium dog bed I got as a pillow.
Sam: He’s going to take the couch. He always does. One time he took his foster’s bed.
Sam: I gotta get back to the shelter, text me if you have any questions.
Sam: Remember to put his muzzle on if you leave the house with him before sundown, you can leave it off after that. Bye, Dougie!
Doug had indeed made himself at home lying on your couch while you were helping Sam. He opens an eye and gives his cropped stubby tail a short wiggle before resting his eyes again.
She leaves your house and you wave her off through your window as she drives away. You let Doug relax so he can get settled into his new home at his own pace and go to the kitchen to fill his water bowl.
You find a good place for the bowls and turn around to jump out of your skin at the sight of the big white dog sitting a few feet away from the kitchen, staring into your soul.
You: Cheese and crackers, man, you scared the crap out of me!
Doug walks over to the back door and tries the doggy door, only able to fit his head through. He backs out and looks up at you.
Doug: Woof.
You: Oh, you want to go outside. I’ll get your leash and muzzle, let me just- What are you doing?
The dog squats down and hunches over while keeping eye contact with you.
You: Doug, no! Please! I can’t let you out without a leash or muzzle!! JUST WAIT A MINUTE!!!
He did not.
~*~
[This was inspired by the Doug dog drawn by the talented @imklare ]
💬 5 🔁 60 ❤️ 282 · There's a lot of them today
[I know Doug still has a full tail in the drawing, but this Doug’s tail was cropped by the original owner.]