I remember the day everything changed. It was just like any other day, except I met a little girl named Kay for the first time. She came in with her mom and dad, and they said they “just wanted to look around.” They started walking around, and that’s when she looked at me. 

Right when I saw her, my tail instantly started wagging. It was wagging so fast I thought it might fall off! 

Then they took me out of my cage and let me meet her. She was the best! And she smelled like chicken nuggets! I started licking her face all over, and she started laughing. That’s when I heard her say, “I love him!” And just like that, I had a home!

Life with Kay was the best! I even got my own collar! We played fetch, except I didn’t really like to give it back, and we even shared snacks!

She even let me sleep in her bed with her! Every night she would hug me tight and whisper, “You’re my best friend, Max.” And she was my best friend too.

One morning, Kay and I decided to go to the park. The birds were singing, and I could smell SO many smells!

Then, suddenly, I smelled something I had never smelled before! It was weird and exciting. So I followed it! It took me past the swings, past the trees, and into the forest. I didn’t even notice Kay’s voice fading behind me. “MAXXXXX!”

The smell led me deeper into the woods. My paws crunched on leaves, and my ears could hear every sound. But then… I stopped. Why couldn’t I hear Kay anymore?

I started to look around. I didn’t know where I was! The trees felt bigger now. Darker. Scarier. Lonelier.