Copyright – Jean L Hays
Belle didn’t know why Joe abandoned her. She’d been loyal – never whined, welcomed him home after work.
He’d knocked her about, but always made up afterwards with a soft word.
She’d survived through four seasons now, since he left her beside the highway, learning to watch for opportunities, to scavenge and steal, and, hardest of all, not to trust too readily. Winter had been toughest, but unexpected kindnesses from travellers had sustained her.
Now, curled in warm grass, she sighed, grateful for this hideaway behind a motel, and for the soft, fragrant bodies of her three new pups, nuzzling contentedly.
*****
We’re on the road again with Rochelle. This week’s picture prompt, the first for the new year, continues our journey through varying landscapes, and along the intriguing highways and byways of Friday Fictioneers.
Onto the page 
So funny, as you and I went on the same road with this prompt!
janet
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Quite remarkable. We both followed a canine path – although yours found love and mine lost it.
Marg
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Oh the sadness of cruelty! At least it had “somewhat” of a happy ending. At least Belle wasn’t alone anymore. Dadgum Joe!
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No, she wasn’t alone – and I wanted to tie in the ‘Begin’ sign, but just couldn’t fit it. I imagined her finding a new home and a new beginning at that motel, so let’s say that’s where she’s headed.
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I like that! Of course! She and her puppies are adopted by the hotel’s owners and they are mascots for the hotel and guests. 🙂 ((Hugs!)) xo
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Great little story. Puppies are cute, but I guess I’ll have to look elsewhere for kittens. 🙂
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Glad you like it. Puppies are very cute. Belle thinks so. (Kittens are pretty cute too.)
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So cruel to leave her like this but at last she found happiness. Beautifully written.
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Thank you. She’ll be happy with her little family, I’m sure.
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Dear Marg,
I couldn’t help thinking that your MC should meet Janet’s handsomely built pooch. Perhaps she would take them all in.
Animal POV stories aren’t my favorite and it takes a really good one to win me over. You’ve won me over, my dear. Very nicely done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I actually had a similar thought about these two characters – a perfect match, I think. Do you know that I’d never written an animal POV story until I started doing Friday Fictioneers, and now I’ve done two! (First was cockroaches.) I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m very glad to have won you over. Thank you so much for your encouragement – as always.
Cheers
Marg
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Poor Belle. I hope she finds enough food to take care of her pups. Maybe the motel owners will take pity on them (that’s what I’m going to believe, anyway!).
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And if I had another 100 words, that’s exactly what would happen. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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Its 7 degrees here this morning and I hate to think of a dog out in the harsh winter. Hope she and her babies find a forever home!
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It’s Spring right now where Belle is, so everything’s ok for the time being. Incidentally, I’m finding it very weird to read about all you poor people battling the cold, when I’m sweltering in an Australian summer, and monitoring the bushfire reports on the radio. What a world! What a wonderful thing the internet is.
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Dear Margaret,
They say that dogs live their entire lives in a state of happiness. Your tale tells a different story and shines a bright light on the plight of abandoned creatures. Humankind is often not. Good job.
Aloha,
Doug
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My daughter and grandson spend most Saturday afternoons walking and playing with dogs at a local dog rescue centre. There are hundreds of dogs, and they are just the ones gathered up from the various ‘death row’ sections of local council dog pounds. Heart-breaking. I do know that it doesn’t take too much to make a dog deliriously happy, so I understand your comment. Thanks for reading and responding.
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Well, I hope Tom Bodett is there so he can “leave the light on” for her. The dog we have now, Buster, was dumped with his mother on a cold, wet dirt road. We put them in a pen with the intention to call animal services. The next morning his mother had escaped and never returned. Animal services said they could not care for a puppy that small (his eyes weren’t open) and they would have to put him to sleep. Connie would not allow that, so she bottle-fed him every two hours and he slept in a laundry basket next to our bed. Now, it’s eleven years later and Buster is starting to get arthritis. He’s been a blessing to us, and expect he would say the same about his adopted mother.
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It would be wonderful for someone to leave a light on for poor Belle. Thank you for commenting, and for sharing your story about Buster. He’s a fortunate boy, and I’m glad the blessings have flown two ways – they tend to do that. I really hope his arthritis doesn’t get too bad, and you have him around a while longer.
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Sometimes things work out. Lovely piece.
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Thanks for that. It’s true – things can work out. Sometimes we just have to wait a while for that to happen.
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All our family dogs were rescue dogs. Made me want to adopt your character.
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Good for you – there are plenty of dogs needing rescue. I think Belle would be a great addition to any family.
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Four seasons! Poor Belle! I truly despise people who are mean to animals. May they get their come-uppin’s. Good story.
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I’m glad you liked it. It’s hard to understand cruelty, and distressing that it happens so much.
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What a great twist… it really adds a new dimension to the beginning of the story. I had to go back and read it again! I’m glad Belle got a new beginning…
Nice job on this one!
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I’m so glad you got a surprise at the end. That’s what I was aiming for, and thank you for reading (twice) and leaving such an encouraging response.
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Heartbreaking. I’m a sucker for a bit of anthropomorphisation. Well done.
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I’m glad you liked it, Sandra. Writing about the human in animals makes a change from writing about the animal in humans, don’t you think?
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I hope Belle can find greener pastures. She’s had a tough road. Well done, Margaret.
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Thanks, Amy. I’d like to think greener pastures are waiting for her soon.
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I finally found you. You forgot to leave your link in my comments. If not for the link you left on Bjorn’s post I wouldn’t know where to look.
I guessed it was a dog about the middle. It feels great to get to the end and see I guessed right.
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Sorry you had trouble finding me. I don’t know what happened with my link- I did everything the same as always. I’ll have to monitor it and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Thank you for taking the trouble to search me out. I hope you enjoyed my story – good guesswork.
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Sweet story, Marg. I’m glad she’s made it this far. I’m going to be an optimist and say someone adopts her and the puppies soon before cold weather sets in. Well done. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Thank you, Suzanne. Yes – that would be the best outcome for Belle.
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What a glorious story.. Love that twist.. and so much like Janets, but with the point of view of the dog.. I guess stray dogs can survive beside such roads…
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I’m so happy you liked it, Bjorn. I suspect Janet’s dog has a more assured future than my Belle, but she’s survived so far beside the highway, so that’s a good sign. Thanks for your lovely comment.
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Your story has reminded me that I have much to be grateful for. We were poor when we first came to Canada but we’ve never been cold nor hungry. Now we are secure in life thru hard work. I have forgotten about the poor and suffering and kindness. Thank you for the reminder.
Lily
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It’s good to be reminded of things we should be grateful for. We all need such reminders from time to time. I know that migrating to another country is a very difficult process – I work with migrants, and I’ve heard their stories. It’s so good that your family has found success and a good life in Canada. Thank you for sharing your story, and thank you for reading mine.
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Such a touching story, you made her voice loud and clear. It will stay with me for awhile.
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Thank you so much. I’m really conscious of the importance of giving characters a convincing voice, and it’s a bit tricky when she’s a dog. I’m so happy my story moved you.
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I love this story, especially the way you brought about the twist. I have a lot to learn from you.
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Thank you so much. I’m glad you liked my story, and I think we can all learn a lot from each other. Cheers.
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