The Best of Friends

 CoCo, the brown Cocker Spaniel, sighed and laid his head on his front    paws. Another day in the animal shelter. Another day stuck inside a cramped, cold cage without feeling the sun on his back, or the wind on his face.

CoCo watched a little boy and girl walking past with a playful Pekinese puppy between them. He let out a long, sad sigh and thought, will I ever get adopted?

The dog to his left had been adopted the day before, and the one across two days before that. Now, the lively Pekinese was gone. Everyone took a passing look at him and went on to the other, cuter puppies.

“Come here, boy,” the gentle voice snapped CoCo out of his thoughts. When he looked up, he saw JoJo, a boy, about fifteen-years-old crouched in front of his cage.

CoCo lightly tapped his tail and stood up. He hesitantly approached the cage’s door and sniffed the closed fist JoJo held against the bars. JoJo had a pleasant smell. 

There was no fear coming from him as CoCo smelled on others. He liked this boy a lot! Wanting to let JoJo know just how he felt, CoCo gave the closed fist a quick lick and sat on his haunches, wagging his tail slowly.

JoJo smiled and motioned for someone to open the cage. A leash was attached to Coco’s collar, and he was allowed out of the cage. For the first time in a long while, CoCo was allowed to stretch his body.

“You look like you want to go for a walk, don’t you, boy?” JoJo asked, running his hand over CoCo’s brown fur.

CoCo let out a soft bark of agreement and tapped his tail twice against JoJo’s leg.

The sunlight felt great on CoCo’s fur. He couldn’t stop looking around in wonder at the trees, the plants, the cars on the parking lot, and the blue sky. He was disappointed when only minutes later, they returned to the shelter.

CoCo’s ears drooped as they walked through the doors. After a taste of freedom, he couldn’t imagine going back to the lonely cage.

“He’s the one, I’m taking him,” JoJo said to the handler.

“Are you sure?” The man standing on the other side of JoJo asked. “A Cocker Spaniel will need more attention than other dogs. HE will need daily exercise, grooming, and more.”

JoJo nodded and leaned down to CoCo’s level, “do you want to come home with me, boy?”

CoCo panted excitedly and wagged his tail.

Jojo ruffled the fur on CoCo’s head, then stood and began filling the adoption papers.

What seemed like an eternity later, CoCo walked out of the animal shelter beside JoJo.

“Goodbye, I hope never to be back,” CoCo grumbled as they drove away from the place.

“Wait till you see our home, you are going to love it!” JoJo told CoCo. He was so excited to finally have a pet of his own that he couldn’t stop talking. “We are going to have so much fun together, you’ll see!”

They drove to the outskirts of town and came to a stop in front of a large house with a back yard. There was a large porch on the front and a tree with a tire swing next to the house. But what caught CoCo’s attention were the endless fields of grass and woods behind the home.

Oh, he already loved this place. But as they got out of the car, CoCo hesitated, wondering, How long will it last?  How long till JoJo 

gets bored of me, finds a girlfriend, and moves on, leaving me behind?

The gray cloud of abandonment settled over him, and CoCo had to try hard to push it away.

“Come on, boy; grandma will love you!” JoJo said, climbing the porch steps like a carefree five-year-old boy. His enthusiasm was contagious, and CoCo found himself bounding up the steps after him, feeling like a pup!

“Growing boys need their food,” Grandma said as they followed her to

the kitchen. JoJo had been right; Grandma had loved him right away.

At the kitchen, she laid out a plate of food for JoJo and filled a bowl with leftover beef and stew scraps for CoCo, along with a bowl of water.

CoCo dove in right away, he was so hungry, and the food was the best he ever had!

Afterward, JoJo asked, “how about that run now, CoCo?”

CoCo stood on his hind legs and placed his front paws on JoJo’s legs, eager to go running.

That was the first and happiest day since CoCo had been placed at the shelter. But every morning after, CoCo woke up, feeling sad, finding it hard to believe he was at a loving home with a friendly owner who truly cared for him.

JoJo, sensing CoCo’s feelings, walked up to him one morning and said, “You are my best friend, CoCo. Nothing will ever set us apart.”

CoCo tilted his head as if asking, “you mean it?”

JoJo nodded, “I know you went through a difficult and sad time, and you may find it hard to accept your new life at times. But I want you to know that you are the first and best pet I’ve had. To me, you are more than that; you are a friend, someone who accepts me for who I am and will always be honest with his feelings.”

CoCo tapped his tail lights on the floorboards and was surprised when JoJo wrapped his arms around CoCo’s neck and hugged him.

“See you later, boy; I’m going to school now. But I have a fun hike planned for us this afternoon!”