A poor young man who worked in a warehouse near a closed bike shop noticed a scruffy dog that visited the store every single day without fail. Curious to find out where the dog was going, one day he followed him and discovered a heartbreaking secret.
Chris, 18 years old, was an experienced market worker who had seen his fair share of stray animals. But Ollie, a Shiba Inu, was very different. He was friendly, well-mannered, and too well cared for to be a stray dog.
When Chris first met Ollie, he found him standing in front of the closed bike shop, staring intently at the large glass windows. Some coworkers told him the dog belonged to the store owner, who suddenly stopped coming to work for several weeks.
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Chris got angry every time he saw the poor dog. He loved dogs and was upset that someone could abandon their beloved pet on the street and just disappear like that. So one day, before heading to the café for lunch, he patted the dog’s head and gently said, “Hi, Ollie… Want a sandwich, buddy?”
From that day on, the curious dog would run to Chris every lunch hour, wagging his tail enthusiastically when he saw Chris’s lunchbox. But instead of devouring the sandwich, the dog would snatch it and disappear with the food clenched between his jaws…
Watching Ollie run away with the food every day and return to the same spot until closing time left Chris worried and curious. At first, he assumed Ollie must be feeding a litter of puppies somewhere and was taking the food to them. But Ollie was a male dog, and his unusual behavior didn’t make much sense.
Each day that passed, Chris grew more concerned as he saw the dog’s energy fading. Ollie’s coat, once shiny, was becoming dull, and he seemed troubled by some unknown source of distress. Chris thought it might be due to abandonment but couldn’t quite pinpoint the cause.
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“Where does he go with the food without even tasting a bite?”
One day at lunchtime, Chris saw Ollie wagging his tail, eagerly licking his lips at the sight of the sandwich, then snatching it and running off as usual. Chris stood there, thoughtful and increasingly worried.
“If Ollie doesn’t have puppies and his owner abandoned him, where does he take the food every day?” he wondered.
“Ollie, where are you going?” Chris shouted as he chased after the dog. But the dog didn’t slow down or look back and vanished from the market, leaving Chris in a cloud of dust.
“Strange dog!” Frustrated and confused, Chris shook his head and went back to work, unable to get the image of Ollie running away with the food out of his mind.
Several thoughts about where the dog went daily circled in Chris’s head, but he couldn’t figure it out.
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When Chris finished his shift and stepped out into the cold night air to go home, he saw Ollie sitting in front of the closed bike shop. The dog’s eyes were fixed on the glass, and he let out a soft whine when he saw Chris approach.
Chris’s heart sank seeing the poor lonely dog, whom he had come to care for deeply in recent days. The bond between them had grown, and Chris realized Ollie was more than just a strange dog.
He was a loyal, affectionate friend who had touched his heart, and seeing Ollie sitting there, alone and sad, struck a chord with him. He knew he had to do something to help.
As he walked toward Ollie, Chris silently promised himself he would never let the poor animal feel alone again. He knelt down, gently stroked Ollie’s head with a heavy heart, and whispered, “You’re not alone, buddy! I’m here.”
Chris’s compassion and concern for Ollie pushed him to make a difficult decision: to take the poor dog home with him. However, there was a small problem standing in his way. Chris shared a rental apartment with his girlfriend Mila, who didn’t like pets much, especially dogs.
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Chris knew adding a dog to their home was a risky decision, and his girlfriend certainly wouldn’t agree. But he couldn’t leave the poor creature alone on the street.
So that afternoon, he quietly approached the dog and offered him a cookie before attaching the leash to his collar. Ollie was terrified and tried to break free, but Chris calmed him and took him along.
Chris’s heart raced with joy and anxiety as he walked home with Ollie. He knew Mila wouldn’t be thrilled about the new addition to their home. But he trusted his decision and was determined to somehow convince her to keep the dog.
With every step, Chris promised himself he would provide Ollie with a safe shelter. But his heart sank when he got home and saw his girlfriend’s furious eyes. Mila was more than angry when she saw the dog.
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“What the hell is this dog doing here?” Mila snapped at Chris as Ollie peeked out from behind his legs, staring at her with his big, shiny, desperate brown eyes.
“Take that thing away,” she added, stepping back in disgust.
“Baby, he has no one to take care of him… and he doesn’t want to hurt anyone, okay? Please, can we keep him? He’s abandoned, and I found him at the market… Look at him… He’s an amazing dog, and I’m sure you’ll fall in love with him… Give him time, babe… Please. He needs us… he needs a loving home, and we have plenty of space in our apartment.”
But Mila was too upset and stubborn to listen.
“You want us to wake up in the middle of the night to his howling, driving us crazy to take him for walks, Chris? Are you crazy? You can’t just bring any stray dog here… This isn’t an animal shelter. We have enough problems already, and we’re tight on space. We can’t keep him,” she yelled at Chris.
“And I’m not getting up every morning with a doggie bag in my hand, waiting to pick up fresh, hot poop, okay? And this thing is going to shed tons of hair… just look at his thick coat. You know I’m allergic to dogs… and I don’t want to get bitten. Look, I’m not accepting this dog in the house, and that’s final. Take him away before I…”
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“But honey, Ollie is harmless. Look at him!” Chris pleaded as the dog whimpered softly behind him, his fluffy haunches firmly planted on the ground and his tail curled around his paws. Ollie feared Mila’s bad temper and looked uncomfortable while they loudly argued.
“He won’t bite you. Ollie is such a kind and friendly dog, and everyone at the market loves him. Look, I know you don’t like dogs because you were bitten when you were little. But that doesn’t mean all dogs are a threat or anything… give him a chance and you won’t regret it… trust me.”
“Look at this… if you ask for his paw, he gives it… and if you tell him to roll over, he does it… and Ollie, up… see, he stood up… he’s so obedient, and he’s not a stray dog,” Chris showed some paw tricks and other commands with Ollie to try to convince Mila to keep him.
“Fine! And you know what? If all your friends love him so much, they can take him to their houses. You’re wasting your time with this dog. These things just eat and sleep all day. Don’t expect me to clean up his poop and pee, okay? If you want this dog in the house, you’ll have to clean all the mess, and I don’t want to see hairs on my clothes. And one more thing… he’s not allowed in our bedroom. I don’t want this dog near me… I’m warning you, Chris. At the first problem he causes, he’s out of here.”
Here is the translation into English:
⸻
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Chris felt somewhat relieved that Mila had agreed to keep the dog. While sitting in the kitchen with his new furry friend, he couldn’t help but feel bad. He had always liked dogs, but Mila’s aversion to them worried him. For Chris, this dog was more than just a pet. He was already his best friend; the dog had touched his heart deeply.
Chris had decided to do whatever it took to make things work, even if it meant sleeping on the kitchen floor with the dog for a while, until Mila changed her mind and accepted Ollie.
So that night he slept in the kitchen with the mutt curled up by his leg, happy to have done a good deed by bringing the dog home. But that happiness lasted only one night.
“Ollie… hey, boy… come here… where are you?” Panic gripped Chris’s chest as he searched for the dog the next morning. Ollie was nowhere to be found.
He searched every corner of the kitchen and apartment, but Ollie was nowhere. The silence was deafening, and Chris’s heart sank as if he had been punched in the gut. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing his new friend so soon.
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“Did he escape? Did Mila take him out while I was sleeping and leave him on the street?” he wondered, immediately confronting his girlfriend. But, to his surprise, Mila denied his accusations and said she hadn’t seen Ollie that morning.
“Why would I get rid of him when you wanted him?” Mila argued.
She added, “Honey, I know you love dogs, okay? And I don’t like them, but that doesn’t mean I would get rid of something you love without telling you. You wanted to keep him, and I couldn’t do much about it. I don’t like that dog, but I love you, which is why I agreed he could stay. But I haven’t seen him since this morning… trust me, honey. Maybe he escaped to go home or something. I told you you were wasting your time with that dog. Now he’s your headache to find. I have to wash the dishes, so if you don’t mind moving…”
When Mila entered the kitchen, she screamed at the top of her lungs. Her piercing scream shook Chris, who ran inside to see what was wrong.
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“I told you… now look what that dog has done,” Mila fumed. “He stole the steak I had on the table to thaw. You brought a four-legged thief home, Chris, and you’d better regret it now. I knew that dog would be a nuisance… I just knew it.”
“I might still believe your words about that damn dog’s loyalty if he had stolen my silly boyfriend instead of my precious steak,” Mila burst out with a dizzying laugh, mocking Chris for taking the dog’s side the night before.
Chris’s mind began to race as Mila laughed at him for trusting Ollie. He couldn’t believe the dog would do such a thing. For a moment, he even doubted if he had done the right thing bringing Ollie home.
“Maybe she was right!” Chris was disillusioned as he left for work that morning. “I shouldn’t have brought Ollie home… Now he’ll keep mocking me and won’t let me bring another dog home again. Thanks for this, Ollie… You’ve broken my trust.”
Chris was stunned when he arrived at the market and saw Ollie standing in the same spot outside the bike shop. The sight of the dog awakened his anger and regret.
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As the day went by, Chris grew increasingly irritated by Ollie’s behavior and ignored the dog every time he came near wagging his tail.
When it was time to eat, Chris decided not to share his food with Ollie. He was still furious with the dog for stealing his steak and running away and didn’t dare forgive Ollie for betraying him.
Later that night, Chris saw the poor dog curled up outside the bike shop, looking sad and hungry. Suddenly, someone threw Ollie a hard loaf of bread. Chris saw the excitement in the dog’s eyes as he eagerly took the treat and ran out of the market without even bothering to eat it. Driven by suspicion, Chris decided to follow Ollie to find out where the dog took the food every day.
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“Where is he going with the food without even taking a bite?” Chris panted as he chased Ollie. More than two hours had passed, but the dog kept trotting without stopping anywhere along the way to nibble on the bread. Finally, Ollie slowed down upon arriving at a remote neighborhood on the outskirts of the city.
“What is he doing here… so far away?” Chris panted as he followed the dog to see where he was headed.
Then he saw Ollie heading toward a house surrounded by several outbuildings at the end of the lane. The house looked abandoned, and Chris couldn’t understand why the little dog was there or for whom he was bringing the food daily.
Chris’s heavy footsteps on the rubble distracted Ollie. But the dog didn’t bother waiting for him. He wagged his tail faintly and slipped his small body through a hole under a metal fence, making his way to the other side of the enclosure.
“What do you have there, Ollie?” Chris tensed as he climbed over the fence and landed inside the enclosure, following the dog toward the house.
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“Hey, boy… why are you digging under the door?” Chris called Ollie again, but the dog was busy digging a hole under the door. The door was closed, and Chris thought Ollie was trying to get in.
Moments later, Chris couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed. Ollie put the loaf of bread into the small hole he had dug while another dog started barking on the opposite side, fiercely scratching the door.
Curious, Chris peeked through the window and stepped back, surprised. On the other side was a large German shepherd trapped inside the house, devouring the loaf of bread.
“My God! So you’ve been bringing food for your buddy trapped in there!” exclaimed Chris as Ollie whimpered softly and wagged his tail, staring fixedly at Chris.
Chris heard the German shepherd barking furiously, and it was clear the dog was distressed. Chris knew he had to act fast and knocked on the door, calling for the owner repeatedly. But there was no answer.
“How strange… where could the owner have gone, and why is that poor dog locked inside the house? Who has locked him in there?” Chris wondered as he searched around for any clue.
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“Hello… is anyone there… hello…” Chris called out into the yard, but there was no answer. The outbuildings looked abandoned, and the house itself seemed uninhabited for a long time.
Chris realized that the dog had been trapped in that house for an unknown amount of time and was in need of help. He tried to find a way inside, but all the doors and windows were stuck or locked.
When Chris couldn’t find any other point of entry, he decided to call the police to rescue the German Shepherd and find out what had happened to the owner. Just as he finished talking to the 911 operator, something strange caught Chris’s attention.
“Jesus, what’s that awful smell?” He frowned and covered his nose in disgust at what seemed to be the stench of something rotting in one of the nearby buildings.
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Just as Chris was heading toward the source of the smell, the police arrived and took charge.
“Officer, I’m the one who called… My name is Chris,” he greeted the sheriff. “There’s a big dog trapped in that house, and I think the owner is missing.”
The police opened the door, and what Chris saw moments later broke his heart and moved him to tears. They pulled out a huge German Shepherd on a leash, looking weak and thin from lack of food and water. Tears welled up in Chris’s eyes as he saw the trembling dog on its feet. It seemed it hadn’t eaten properly in days and that the only source of nutrition keeping it alive was the food Ollie had been bringing it daily.
“Hello, Max… hey boy… don’t worry… you’re safe and free now,” Chris said, gently stroking the dog after seeing its name on the collar.
Chris was furious with the owner for abandoning the dogs in such terrible conditions. And just as he was about to talk to the police to file a report, he saw two officers running with crime scene tape toward one of the buildings emitting the putrid smell.
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Moments later, Chris’s mouth twisted and he nearly vomited when he saw the decomposed body of a man being taken out on a stretcher. He was even more startled when he learned the deceased was the owner of the bicycle shop who had been missing for several weeks.
“We haven’t yet determined the cause of Mr. Lawrence’s death,” the sheriff told Chris. “Sources say he was a heart patient living alone here with his two dogs. It could have been a heart attack, but we’re not sure yet… And these dogs will be sent to the shelter.”
Chris’s heart was pounding, and he didn’t want to leave the poor dogs alone. He knew he couldn’t abandon them after witnessing their suffering and the heartbreaking turn of events. So he spoke with the officer and agreed to adopt the dogs and take them home.
While Max was sent to the veterinary hospital for recovery, Chris took Ollie home with him, knowing Mila would be angry with him again.
“Not again, Chris. I thought we had lost him,” Mila frowned when she saw Ollie hiding behind Chris’s legs, looking up at her with big, pleading eyes.
To her surprise, Ollie wagged his tail as he slowly approached her. With an anxious look in his big brown eyes, the dog extended his paw toward Mila. When the soft pads of his paw met Mila’s hand, tears sprang to her eyes. Later, when Chris told her about that day’s encounter, her heart melted, and she agreed to adopt both dogs. A couple of weeks later, Chris and Mila were the happiest dog parents when they welcomed Max home after he left the hospital.
