Pearl and the Dog Who Saved Her

Parents were screaming at each other again in the kitchen, behind the closed doors, but Pearl still could hear. She shut the door of her room and hid in the closet. Finally the sound didn’t come in anymore, so she turned her flashlight on and opened her fauna encyclopedia. So many different animals she would love to have as pets, but above all, maybe a small doggie. Mom didn’t really mind, but Dad was allergic to hair and very strict with Pearl. The grades that semester were still not good enough and the behavior not that stellar.

“They are probably fighting because of me,” sorrowfully thought Pearl. “I am too much trouble, and that’s why I can’t get a brother or a sister, parents can’t even deal with me anymore.” She knew that Mom had been going to a special clinic to try and have another baby, and that just wasn’t happening. Dad started spending more time at the grandparents’ house, and Mom was too depressed to communicate with Pearl, but the girl was constantly in school detention anyway. Always either for reading her animal book in class, or yelling at classmates or teachers. Mom and Dad would sit her down and explain that raising her voice was very rude, but then how come they were doing it with each other. Pearl was wondering about that at the rare moments when she wasn’t reading.

The school psychologist suggested she played more sports and did more outdoorsy stuff, so one weekend her parents took Pearl camping. The beautiful camping site was located in the hills with a variety of hiking trails around. The weather was warm and sunny, so the site was very busy, mostly families from all over the state with kids and pets. The sign at the entrance stated, “Keep an eye on your pets, coyotes in the area.”

Pearl was pretty strong for her age, so she didn’t mind when parents suggested a 10 mile uphill hike to look at waterfalls. The parents seemed in a good mood, so she was happy, too. When they reached half the way, Mom and Dad sat down to unpack lunch, and Pearl followed a little squirrel to take pictures of it. Suddenly she heard a quiet squealing from the bushes, and saw a puppy with a bleeding paw. “Coyotes! I need to take him away from them,” was her immediate thought. The puppy was so exhausted, he didn’t even protest or bite, when she grabbed it and carried to her parents.

“Mom, Dad! Look what I find! We need to help him and take him away before wild animals get him!”

Parents looked at each other, not thrilled at all.

“Honey, this dog is probably lost and belongs to someone down at the camp. We will have to give it back anyway,” suggested Dad carefully, scared of Pearl’s possible reaction.

Pearl didn’t argue, but deep inside was wondering whether the people who lost the puppy believed that it had been eaten by coyotes. Mom wrapped the shaking doggie in a blanket, and instead of enjoying their lunch, they walked back down. While Dad was driving around the campsite, looking for the dog’s owners, Mom was trying to disinfect the paw with the help of Pearl. They were not doing a very good job, the puppy kept crying, and the paw was most likely broken.

Dad came back an hour later with no news.

“Well, people come here from all over the state and even from outside it. His humans are just not here anymore. The dog is not chipped. Let’s go back home and take him to the vet right away.”

Pearl’s heart was jumping out of her chest, and she couldn’t help smiling.

“Don’t get your hopes up, young lady. You haven’t been doing well at school. I like the little fur ball though, and surprisingly he doesn’t make me sneeze.” Dad carefully picked up the puppy, and it immediately fell asleep on his shoulder.

“Aww. He loves you!”

Mom was touched and for the first time in a while looked at Dad with some tenderness.

The vet’s verdict was simple: the broken paw and dehydration.

“Two days in the clinic, and you can take him home. I am sure your daughter misses him already.”

These words seemed to have sealed the puppy’s destiny. At home Mom sat Pearl down and told her that her grades and behavior needed to improve, and that walking the dog at least once a day would be her responsibility. Then all three of them picked a name for the new family member.

When they brought Wolfie home, he was still very weak and needed vitamin shots and a special diet. He also refused to fall asleep until Dad carried him around. All three of them were so busy carrying about the dog that Dad ran home straight from work, and he and Mom didn’t have time to argue anymore.

Pearl was happy and didn’t have to hide in the closet anymore. She put her animal encyclopedia away, because talking walks and playing with Wolfie was way more fun. Her grades and behavior improved, and when several weeks later Mom confessed to her that she was going to be a big sister after all, she wasn’t jealous even a bit. She knew that their family was staying together…