05/29/2025
Since it happens SO OFTEN I thought I would share ❤️
You pulled over like you were going to check the tires.
I knew before you opened the door.
The way your hands shook when you scratched behind my ears one last time. The way you wouldn’t meet my eyes when you whispered, "Be good."
Then the click of the seatbelt release. The shove. The door slamming like a gunshot.
And just like that—I was nothing in your rearview mirror.
Funny thing about roads: They’re cold. They don’t smell like home. They stretch in both directions, and neither one leads back to you.
I ran after your car. Of course I did. (You knew I would.) My paws bled. My lungs burned. I thought if I could just catch up, you’d remember:
The time I chewed your favorite sandals and you laughed instead of yelling.
The way I always curled into your knees during thunderstorms.
But you didn’t stop.
Humans tell themselves stories: “I had no choice.” “They’ll find her a better home.”
But here’s the truth—you chose the coward’s way out.
You left me where the monsters are real:
Tires that don’t swerve.
Men who don’t care if a collar means someone loved me once.
I survived. Not for you. For me—the me who still wags at squirrels, who licks kids’ faces, who somehow, stupidly, would’ve forgiven you if you’d come back that first night.
But listen close, human:
The road didn’t break me. You did. And yet—
I’m still here.
With a new name.
A new hand to hold.
And a heart that’s almost done waiting for you.
🐾 —The Dog You Thought Wouldn’t Make It
💔 For every soul left by the roadside: May your journey lead you to softer hands.
