One day last August, Tito and Thomas were exploring the riverbank outside of their backyard and Thomas noticed Tito struggling to do some of the things he normally did easily. He was running through the shallow river bank and stumbled, looking lost and disoriented. Thomas called him over and decided to take him home for a nap. He knew they had a long day and thought that was why Tito looked a little off.
The next few days, Thomas went around town applying for jobs, getting groceries, doing laundry and anything else he could think of to try to get his life in order. Tito stayed home mostly watching out the window for Thomas to come home, he hated being home alone. When Thomas arrived, they played ball, went for a short walk and went to bed.
Since Thomas had been gone more than Tito was used to, he decided to take him to the dog park to visit his friends. When they got there, he noticed Tito lying around and not wanting to socialize with the other dogs, which was the complete opposite of how he normally acted. Having an uneasy feeling about it, Thomas trusted his intuition and took Tito to the vet and demanded they run some tests.
He took him home and gave him extra treats that night, anxiously waiting the results from the vet.
Thomas's phone rang and he ran to answer it. The vet said "You need to being Tito back in for surgery as soon as you can, we found a tumor and have to remove it immediately."
Stressed and emotional, Thomas took Tito in the very next day. He sat in the waiting room at the vet until they came back and he asked to see his dog. They said, "We are so sorry, Tito didn't make it through surgery today, he passed away during the process."
Thomas was in complete shock. He didn't know how to live life without his best friend by his side. He left the vet that day feeling empty. He didn't want to go home alone.
After grieving for days on end, Thomas had a change of heart. He had been moping around at home, with no motivation to do anything. He realized that is not what his dog would've wanted in life, so he went for the life he would've wanted for him. Thomas went in that very day for a job interview, then headed to the lake with his friends for the rest of the evening. He wanted Tito to be proud of him and continue to see the world.
He ended up scoring his dream job and began traveling the world for meetings and growing the business. He went to places he never dreamed of seeing, and thought of Tito every time he was in a new place.
Thomas continued to work his way up in the business and eventually became the CEO. After a meeting in London one afternoon and say the most charming girl he had every seen walking her German Shepard in the park. He quickly knew she was the one for him and began a relationship with her and of course, her dog Riley loved having a father like him.
Although they are animals, dogs can be so motivating and encouraging. They get so excited about what life has to offer, and Thomas took Tito's bravery and curiosity and built the life he always imagined having.
Tito
(Photo from: Pixabay)
Bibliography: Japanese Fairy Tales by Andrew Lang- The Envious Neighbor
Author's Note: I based my story off The Envious Neighbor from Japanese Fairy Tales by Andrew Lang. Since the dog is the focus of the story, I thought I would make it the focus of mine as well. I think dogs have such strong relationships with their companions and are so lovable. I decided to make my story this week a tribute to a dog's wonderful life. This story is completely made up so don't worry, this isn't about a real dog who actually died.
