1 🐾 ARIA 🐾
If someone told me a month ago that I'd be standing in my living room arguing with a dog about why she couldn't eat my laptop charger, I'd have laughed them out of the room.
But here I was, pointing a chewed-up cord like a piece of evidence in court while a shaggy, wide-eyed mutt sat on the rug, tail wagging like she hadn't just destroyed the last tether between me and working from home.
"Do you realize what you've done?" I asked, exasperated. Her only answer was a sloppy bark and then, as if to add insult to injury, she flopped over and started chewing the corner of the actual rug.
This was my life now.
"Alright, we're going now." I said, pointing at her as I went to my room to get changed.
I've never had a day off that felt this... chaotic.
My new dog, Bunny, had made this past month difficult for me. I could already hear her paws clattering against the polished floor of my apartment as I threw on my blue jeans and a plain t-shirt before looking at myself in the full body mirror for a moment.
There it was. The hair.
My hair.
For twenty-nine years, it had been blonde, soft and safe and exactly the way my mother liked it. I have always wanted to dye my hair, but I told myself not to care about that superficial stuff, that if it was a way to keep the peace and not anger my mother then I didn't care. Even if I had been an adult now for over a decade, I didn't dare go against what she wanted.
No pets, no late nights, no colors outside of beige or navy. Always tidy. Always proper.
But now, when I tilted my head under the light, the ends glowed a bold, copper orange. Bright, fiery, impossible to hide. The stylist, while cutting what was going to be my new bangs, called it "copper ombre" color. I called it, the new me.
I stared at the way the color framed my face. My big hazel eyes looked almost wider, more awake, and the freckles I usually buried under makeup seemed to pop against the warm shade.
It didn't feel like me. And at the same time... it felt more like me than I'd ever been.
Bunny barked from the other room. "You like it, don't you?" I yelled back at her and I could already hear her steps towards me as if she was running.
I didn't even have an opportunity to tie up my hair as Bunny came to my room and basically tried to tackle me from behind before running away again.
"Are you kidding me?" I tried to steady myself. "Do you hate my hair that much or did you just attack me for no reason?" I frustratedly called after her while I took the leash that she hated to put on.
My apartment was small, so it was easier for me to grab her in the sense that she couldn't hide too much. A solid fifteen minutes passed until I could finally put her pink leash on and by the end of it I was gasping from exhaustion. This isn't me. I don't chase dogs. I organize closets for fun and I color-code my spice rack for God's sake.
"You always give me a good workout." I sighed, gripping the end of the leash tightly. She wasn't done yet, she wanted to be the one to drag me away.
"Bunny! No! Stop!" I tried again, my voice a notch higher this time, but she either didn't hear me or was pretending not to, which was highly likely. Honestly, I think she was deliberately ignoring me.
I rescued her a month ago. This medium height, raggedy, skinny mutt with grey matted fur, mismatched ears, a crooked tail, and eyes that seemed far too clever for her own good. I saw her by the side of my apartment building, eating out of a half open trash bag.
Something about the way she was staring at people...like she wasn't sure if she was allowed to exist, until she looked up at me. The way her big eyes stared at me, tail wiggling, it just pulled at my heart strings.
It was probably manipulation to get me to give her some food, but damn it, it worked! I gave her more than that. She's now my unemployed roommate.
I took her that same day to the vet, got her shots in order and took her to a nearby groomer by the next day. By the end of that first week, she was already acting like the queen of my house.
I never thought about getting a pet in my adult life, but when I saw her...she honestly looked so playful even if she was in that situation, eating out of garbage with people ignoring her. I couldn't leave her there.
I felt like I needed her.
If I was going to get a dog, I wanted it to have been overlooked, that everyone else had written off, just like... well, me, I guess.
I sank down to the floor, holding my head in my hands as Bunny gleefully wagged her tail and bumped against me. Somehow, this tiny mutt had already ruined my carefully cultivated sense of order in less than a month. And yet even with all my frustrations... I couldn't stop smiling.
I've always been a stickler for tidiness. My apartment used to shine. Every book in place, every coffee mug lined up on the counter, every stray hair carefully swept into oblivion. Bunny had turned that into a minor war zone. And the truth was that I loved her anyway.
A small spark of hope kept me going, so I booked a training lesson. One of my coworkers had been talking about her own dog trainer for months, claiming miracles. She said this guy had "patience of a saint" and "skills that could make the most disobedient dogs obey with just a look."
The new dog whisperers, she said, so of course I quickly booked a session.
I clutched my phone in one hand and Bunny's leash in the other. The appointment was for today, in about an half an hour and I already felt my chest lift at the thought. Maybe today, I'd finally learn how to control her or at least convince her that the couch was not a chew toy.
I took my keys and pulled her out the door with me as she tried to get back in the house. Everything with her was difficult.
Maybe she has a defiant disorder.
She didn't believe in rules, schedules, or cared for my personal sanity. She shredded my throw pillows, dragged the laundry across the floor, and chewed two pairs of shoes before I even learned her preferred brand of kibble.
This is war for me, but I wasn't giving her up. Not when she made the house feel alive again. Not when, for the first time in years, I didn't feel so hollow walking through my front door.
Still, I needed help. Badly.
We walked outside, me struggling and Bunny distracted with nearly everything. At least the training lesson isn't far from my apartment building, only a few blocks away which was very convenient for me. Bunny was practically vibrating at the end of the leash, nails clicking against the pavement like she'd had three espressos before we left the house.
We were going to pass a hot dog stand and my stomach rumbled. I forgot to eat lunch because Bunny gets all my attention, so I deserve a stupid hot dog.
"Bunny, please," I hissed, trying to keep her in line as the smell of grilled meat wafted from the hot dog stand. It was the most popular one in town, and apparently, everyone and their grandmother had the same craving because the line stretched down the sidewalk.
It was still early so I decided to just wait it out, but Bunny didn't care about lines. Bunny cared about meat. She made even waiting difficult as she darted from side to side trying to attack people with hot dogs in hand. Throughout those long minutes I finally got to order my hot dog supreme.
"Sit." I whispered, juggling the leash, my purse, and trying to fish money out of my wallet all at once. Bunny looked at me, blinked those big brown eyes, and then lunged forward just as I reached for my hot dog.
I yelped. The hot dog flew, the leash yanked, and I stumbled forward, straight into a solid wall of... chest? Definitely chest.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" I squeaked, clutching Bunny's leash as if I was taming a horse. I looked up at the poor stranger I'd just body-slammed with a condiment loaded hot dog.
I felt my neck crank up to watch a tall, lean, and attractive stranger on the street. Black hair pulled into a neat ponytail, sharp cheekbones, long lashes framing dark eyes that looked... surprised but not annoyed. A single silver hoop glinted in his ear. He looked down at his T-shirt, now smeared with a splotch.
"I-" I looked at my hot dog on the ground. It had ketchup smeared on the pavement like a crime scene. Bunny was already going in for the evidence. "I didn't mean-my dog-she-"
He raised a hand, his voice soft. "Don't worry."
Just like that. No anger, no irritation. He even crouched a little to give Bunny a quick pat before straightening again, like he didn't mind my chaotic mess colliding with him at all.
"I'm really sorry," I repeated, mortified. I could feel mustard somewhere on me.
God, was it on my face?
I wiped my face with the back of my hand. His lips twitched like he was fighting back a smile. "Seriously, it's fine." He glanced at his watch, then gave me one last look. "Don't worry." he reassured again.
And then he was gone. Just walking off down the street, leaving me standing there with a hot dog massacre at my feet, ketchup on my shirt, and a dog who was wagging her tail like this was the best day of her life.
The hot dog stand owner took pity on me and with my cheeks burning, they gave a free hot dog and this time Bunny didn't attack me.
"Well, this is great." I muttered, dragging Bunny her away from licking the ketchup on the pavement.
By the time I wrangled Bunny down the sidewalk and found the place. I was sweating through my blouse and silently cursing.
The training shop was easy to spot, a big sign that read The Loyal Hound, two stories tall with big glass windows that framed shelves of leashes, chew toys, and neatly stacked bags of food. A little bell chimed when I pulled open the door, and the smell hit me-not just that faint earthy tang of kibble, but something sweeter, almost like a bakery.
Before I could look around, Bunny immediately lunged toward a group of Labradors like she was trying out for a street gang. My arm yanked forward so hard my shoulder nearly popped. I was half-dragged through the doors, flushed and breathless, looking like I had zero control over the animal at the end of my leash.
I had to apologize to the people who were just trying to buy items around the store since my dog was the most rowdy one of all and was instigating fights with everyone, until she noticed the sweets. Bunny immediately started dragging me toward the baked goods case.
"Of course." I blinked.
Sure enough, along one wall was a display case full of what looked like cookies, cupcakes, and tiny bone-shaped biscuits, each frosted and decorated. For dogs. My dog eats my couch cushions, but apparently other people's dogs get homemade red velvet pupcakes.
The space had a cozy-but-practical vibe. Rubber mats covered part of the floor, kennels and training obstacles set up at one end. It smelled clean but lived-in, like whoever ran the place spent their whole life here. With the upstairs windows glowing faintly above, I half wondered if the owners lived right above the shop. There were two doors at the far end, one had training lessons next to it with an arrow.
Three people got out of the training room, three very striking men- and I recognized one of them. He made eye contact with me first before I could hide.
"What a coincidence." He came over to me, shirt still smudged with mustard.
I want to die.
"Here for the lessons uh?" He chuckled as he glanced at Bunny who was sniffing earnestly his shoes.
"I guess I don't have to explain why.." my cheeks heated as I tucked a piece of hair behind my ears. "Did you bring your dog too?" I blurted out trying to make small talk, but I didn't see him with a pet.
"I work here." He commented as one of the men, what it assumed to be another worker called out to him.
The other person had pale skin, dark blue hair with tattoos on his arms that stuck out of his plain black shirt. Even from over here I could see his dark blue eyes and multiple piercings.
"Elian, come here for a moment!" he called out as he entered the other door with no sign.
"Excuse me." The mustard man, Elian, gave me a brief polite smile before turning and going, Bunny wanting to leave with him as we apparently played tug of war with each other.
A couple of seconds later, after the third man greeted the Labrador owners out, he turned to me.
This was a big man. I assumed he was a trainer.
Tall, broad, in a way that makes you look twice. Caramel skin and a slight burn scar on his left cheek. His left leg clicks softly as he shifts, the faint metallic sound drawing my gaze to the sleek prosthetic strapped beneath his cargo pants.
His hazel eyes are calm, his expression collected, but there's something like humor tugging at the corner of his mouth as he watches me wrestle my dog.
Bunny lunges to me, almost knocking me off my feet. I squeak, clutching the leash like a lifeline.
The trainer steps forward, steady, confident, voice even but laced with amusement. "Looks like you've got yourself a handful."
"That's one way to put it," I mutter, cheeks burning. "She destroyed three rugs, my shoes, and-oh, right-my laptop charger. Which I needed for work. So now my boss is going to kill me and my house looks like a crime scene."
A huff of laughter escapes him before he turns his face back into something professional. "Sounds like she's got energy. And no boundaries."
"That's a polite way of saying she's a demon."
That almost-smile flickers again.
"I'm Victor by the way, owner and trainer of the shop and don't worry. We'll get her sorted out. Dogs like her, They just need the right direction. You'd be surprised how quickly they can change." He looked at his watch. "The lessons start now. Follow me."
Something in the way he says it..calm, sure, without judgment-loosens the knot in my chest. I nod, exhaling slowly.
Even though Bunny brought me so much joy and love, having her untamed gave me great anxiety. I felt like I was failing, and failure made me feel like I was not good enough for anything.
Online this place had great reviews and the personal recommendation is a good one, so I had faith I'll be able to learn a lot here for the sake of Bunny.
For the first time since she entered my life, I didn't feel completely hopeless.
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𝙋𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚, 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚!
𝙄𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙢𝙚 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙪𝙮𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮.
𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧, 𝙄 𝙪𝙧𝙜𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚. 𝙄'𝙢 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠. 𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙃𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮 𝙞𝙩, 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬. 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪.
