Riley came again today. Typically I will play with him for a few minutes and then throw him a chunk of frozen fish. He'll grab the fish and run off to eat. But today he simply smelled the fish and then came running back to me. He didn't care about the food, he only wanted attention. It was a sweet moment. I know his true owners watch from their window and growl that I'm stealing their dog. Perhaps if they fed him and played with him he wouldn't care for me so much. But they don't, so he does. I usually just rub down his tummy, but today we played. I ran through the deep snow into our backyard. It's above my knees, so I fell the whole way. But like the true sled dog that he is he broke trail through the snow and easily hustled beside me. He'd stop and wait when I fell, and nip my hood to pull me back up. We ran back in forth for a while. Then we'd stop and wrestle and he'd give me kisses. As poetic as I wish this would all sound, I can't truly write this in my stereotypical creative way. For this dog, to me, has become a part of my life. He's not just a little tidbit, but rather a thought that crosses my mind on an hourly basis. I know his owners will probably chain him up soon so he won't come play with me. Their lazy ways will keep him starved without food. He'll be in the back- a place I can't secretly walk to visit him. And my heart will break. I've said it before- I would give anything to let him be my own. But life doesn't always work that way. I understand that. My landlord is to strict, my coins are too few, and his true owners too stubborn. I hope I can give him a bit of happiness before we're taken from one another. For he's given me so much.
