Shadow lay on her porch, soaking up the warm morning sun. Her pack all around her, she nestled her nose in her paws and drifted off to sleep. Shadow thought of her pack as her mind went from that place of conscious to subconscious thoughts. Her pack was her family, two wild little rat terriers, two energetic muts that she still hasn’t figured out, and 4 humans.

The girl human was the first to steal her heart. The girl began to come around about the same time as the house began to go up. Shadow was curious, eager to greet potential new neighbors. The new neighbors seemed happy to see her, one even gave her a biscuit, of which she ate part and buried the rest for later. She visited for a while and said goodbye; she had other places to check on that day, too. Shadow bounced out the road, happy to have met her new neighbors.

As the house grew, so did the bond between Shadow, then called Stripe, and these new neighbors. Their place became a daily stop on her route around the community. Shadow was known to everyone in the area, although most called her Road Dog. She had had a home once, with horses and a man an woman. She loved to walk along as the humans rode the horses. But the lady left and the man didn’t seem to care if Shadow stayed or not, so she began to roam the community meeting new people and making lots of new friends. Sometimes the friends would give Shadow sandwiches and some even offered water and affection. She quickly learned to eat just enough and bury the rest, save for a rainy day, as they say.

When the house was near done, Shadow found a wonderfully warm place up in the top with a nice comfy blanket on the floor; the perfect place for an afternoon nap. One of the people helping with the house even made it a habit of bringing an extra biscuit or some leftovers for her. She always made sure to be there early to get her treats and she always said “thank you�?with a quick lick to the hand. She was happy to find that a bowl of water and dish of food were now available on the porch. This was becoming one of her favorite places. The girl human was her favorite part of the visit, though. The girl would rub her head and scratch her ears; the girl would lay with her on the porch in the warm sun; the girl gave endless affection.

When the house was done and the people moved in, Shadow found herself spending more and more time with the family. She was always welcomed, the people even seemed to want her there with them. She enjoyed the porch, and in the winter she really enjoyed her new bed by the wood stove. She stayed close by, shortening her daily trek through the community. Shadow liked having a home again.

Then the terrible day came. Shadow didn’t understand why she was being leashed and put into the truck. She vaguely remembered the woman, like from some distant dream. The woman had gone away, though, why was she back now and forcing Shadow into the truck. The girl seemed upset, too; crying, calling for Shadow. The man in the truck took Shadow to a house with a fenced back yard. She had never before been confined to one small space, she had always been free. It wasn’t a bad place, just cramped and not familiar. The people there were nice enough, but Shadow was very unhappy. She had to get back to her girl, make sure everything was ok in her neighborhood. Shadow began to panic; she did not like the chain that kept her from even moving around the small back yard freely.

As the days became a week and then two and then a month, Shadow found herself sad. She missed her girl and the other places she visited. She missed the endless affection of the girl and family. She missed her freedom. She became more and more sad until she just lay most of the time and cry. She could still smell familiar smells when the wind came from the right direction, she could still remember how the warm sun felt on the porch, she could still remember how good it felt to be free. But all that seemed so far away now.

One day, the man that brought her to the small fenced back yard came out and unchained Shadow. She felt light without the heavy chain, she wondered what was happening. Then the man opened the gate, he looked at Shadow and patted her head. He was giving her back her freedom, her life. Shadow gave the man a look of gratitude and bounded out of the gate like a puppy. She went around the house and up the road, she smelled something so good, so wonderful. As she followed this wonderful smell, Shadow saw the house on the hill…her house. She began to run faster and faster. She found her bowl of food and dish of water still on the porch, she scratched at the door and howled as loud as she could. The girl came running to the door and opened it to let Shadow in. They met in a wonderful mix of laughter and howling. Everyone in the family came running and showered Shadow with petting and love. The girl howled happily with Shadow and Shadow decided right then that there was no need to roam the community any more, they could take care of themselves. She would stay with her family in her home.

As she awoke from her nap on the porch, Shadow found her family was still right there with her on her porch. She enjoyed the girl rubbing her belly; she stretched out and sighed contently.