In this new place, everything was different. Fresh scents didn’t blow in on the wind but were circulated through the holes in the walls. The smells of so many dogs blended together, overwhelming him. There were other creatures here too—rabbits, though they seemed quite different from the ones who’d hopped in front of his pen from time to time, and cats.

Before coming here, the dog had only encountered a few cats on his evening runs near the river. He’d loved to give them chase, even if it was a different sort of chase than when he turned up a rabbit or squirrel. Cats were hunters and had sharp claws, and after a short run, the dog had left them alone. Here, the cats were caged like him, but they weren’t taken outside to relieve themselves like the dogs or the few cats the dog had previously known.

The dog curled into the side of his kennel, thinking again of the woman who’d slept near him for one night. Sleepless as he’d been, he’d listened to the sounds she made in sleep and watched the rise and fall of her breath through the bars of his kennel. Separated by such a short space, he’d longed to experience the sweep of her hand over his back and down his ears again.

In the morning, when she’d woken and taken him from his kennel, a rush of pleasure had swept over him at the chance to go outdoors walking with her again. When something he did pleased her, his heart had beat faster at the change in pitch in her voice, making him want to please her again.

She was different from the master he’d known all his life. Her eyes lingered on him, and her tone was gentle enough for the dog to never worry she’d treat him with the same rough hand as his master’s if his actions were to displease her.

The dog longed for her to return. Hoped she’d take him away again. There were other humans here, many others. Perhaps because he’d done nothing to displease them, they’d only shown him kindness. Still, he tucked his tail tight against his haunches when he was being directed into his kennel, bracing for a kick he might not feel coming.

For the most part, the men and women here hurried about, always busy with something, delivering food and water, taking dogs out to relieve themselves, and scouring the kennels, refreshing the sharp scent that clung to them and burned his nose.