1.
It's dark when the Small Human sneaks into Dogs Back Yard to play with her. Dog had been worried because he usually came to see her when it was still light outside. She'd been upset and wined all day when she realised he wasn't coming, this made the Nasty People who owned her mad and they threw things at her to make her stop. Dog doesn't like the Nasty People. They make her live outside with a heavy chain around her neck so she can't run away. Sometimes it gets very cold at night but no matter how loud she cries they still wont let her in. Other times its very hot and they don't fill up her water bowl which makes her mouth dry and her head hurt. The Nasty People don't play with her either; they just shout loud words at her or try and kick her when she wants to be petted. Sometimes they come outside just to throw things at her which hurts or they bring big dogs that bark and snarl at her which frightens Dog. The Small Human isn't like that though. Dog had been scared when he had first snuck into her back yard. The Nasty People had Small Humans as well but they poked at her and pulled her fur which made her yelp in pain. This Small Human is very kind to Dog; he brings her food which tastes a lot better then the food she normally gets. That's if she gets anything at all; Dog can go hungry for days before the remember to feed her. The Small Human also plays with her, quietly so nobody will hear him, and he gives good head pats and tummy rubs. He even brought her a blanket to lay on whilst she was outside but the Nasty People found it and threw it away.
Dog wags her tail when he gets nearer, she can smell the chicken in his pocket, and jumps up at him when he reaches her. The Small Human tells her to be quiet and Dog waits patiently as he removes the heavy chain from around her neck. It hurts because its so tight and she yelps a bit so the Small Human strokes her ears until its finally removed. Dog shakes herself properly; its very strange not having the heavy cold metal weighing her down. The Small Human is talking to her again and then he's picking her up and carrying her over to the gap in the fence he always sneaks through. Its nice being carried; Dogs paws hurt a lot from having to stand on the cold, hard ground all the time. Dog has never been this far into her own back yard but it seems like they're going even further as the Small Human carries her through the fence and out into the night. Its even darker out here with no lights from the Big House but the Small Human seems to know where he's going and its not long before they're walking towards another Back Yard. The Small Human is talking to her again; something about a Seth. Dog doesn't know what a Seth is but the Small Human seems happy when he talks about it so Dog is happy too. He's cuddling her as he climbs over the small fence to the new Back Yard so she licks his face which makes him make a funny noise, she's not heard that sound before but she likes it so she does it again. Then she notices that another Small Human is waiting for them in the new Back Yard. He doesn't look happy when he sees Dog. The Small Human puts her down but Dog is scared so she stays by his feet as he argues with the other Small Human. Its not like when the Nasty People argue so after a while Dog starts exploring the new Back Yard, she doesn't like to go to far from her Small Human though and after a while she trots back towards him and sits at his feet. The other Small Human keeps saying "Take It Back" and Dog has been called It often enough to know he means her. Dog doesn't want to go back to the Nasty People; she likes it here with the nice Small Human who feeds her and strokes her fur in nice, gentle way. Maybe this new Small Human just needs to get know Dog. First she starts by licking his fingers until he makes the same funny sound her Small Human made, then she jumps up at him to lick his face until he strokes her head. Dog hopes she's done enough to be allowed to stay; she's pretty sure she had when her Small Human picks her up.
"Good Dog," He says as she scratches her under the chin. Dog wags her tail happily.
2.
Dog has a new name now; Peaches. She also knows her Small Humans name is Richie and the other Small Human is called Seth. Richie named her Peaches which she really likes. It's better than "Dog" and sounds much nicer than "Stupid" or "That Fucking Mutt" which was what the Nasty People used to shout at her. When Richie calls her name now she gets excited and her tail wags as she runs towards him. Richie also given her a bath and brushed out the matted fur so she is clean and doesn't smell bad anymore. Peaches likes living with her two Small Humans. The older one, Seth, has been teaching her how to catch a ball which is fun. At first she had been scared because it usually hurt when things got thrown at her but Seth uses a nice voice and Richie gives her a treat which tastes yummy. Peaches could play outside forever in the big Back Yard. What she doesn't like is the Bad Man. The Bad Man lives in the house with Seth and Richie, they call him Dad but he doesn't use their names when he calls them. He calls them names like "Retarded", "Stupid Fucking Idiot" and "Little Shits." Its not nice when the Bad Man starts shouting and he throws things at Seth and Richie until they cry. Peaches wishes she was bigger so she could make him stop. The boys are very good at hiding though and sometimes the Bad Man doesn't find them for a very long time.
Peaches is sniffing around under Richie's bed, sometimes he leaves treats under there, when she hears the Bad Man shouting again. She's not supposed to be in the house but Richie sneaks her inside at night when then Bad Man is sleeping. She gets to sleep on his bed which is nice; the Nasty People never even let her inside the house. Richie also snuggles her soft fur at night; sometimes he doesn't sleep very much and will stay up talking to her. Peaches likes being inside with him. The shouting is getting louder and there's lots of bad words used, the kind of words that Nasty People used to call her, and then the sound of glass breaking. Peaches knows its glass because the Nasty People used to throw bottles at her when she barked. The bedroom door crashes open and the Bad Man is pulling the boys in by their arms. It must hurt because they're both telling him to stop but he just pushes them inside and uses his hand to hit them both across the face. Peaches hides under the bed because the noise is scary and the Bad Man frightens her. She waits until the door slams close before she ventures out. The boys are huddled up together on Seth's bed making a noise that Peaches hears a lot when the Bad Man shouts at them. It takes her a while to jump up on Seth's bed because she's still small and her legs aren't that long but after a while she manages it. She lays down in between them and licks the salty wetness off their faces. Her warm fur seems to comfort them and they both scratch her ears which is her favourite. After a while Seth falls asleep but Richie snuggles her close.
"Good Dog," He whispers and Peaches wags her tail happily.
3.
Sometimes the Bad Man disappears for a long time and the man the boys call Uncle Eddie comes to take them to a different House. Peaches likes Uncle Eddie. He gives her good head pats and can throw the ball further then Seth and Richie. Plus she's allowed to stay inside the house, but not on the couch, when they stay there. Today he's taking them to something called a Lake and they're going to go Fishing. Peaches doesn't know what any of this means but the boys are excited so that means she is too. She gets to sit in the back with the boys for the car ride which she likes, they make a lot of noise but its good noise and theres no nasty words. A Lake turns out to be a huge Water Bowl that something called a Boat lives on. Uncle Eddie makes her stay on the sandy beach whilst he and the boys go on the Boat and into the water. Peaches doesn't really like being left on her own but she's scared of the water and the idea of being inside the boat frightens her. Richie tries to get her to play in the water but after putting her paws into the water Peaches decides she defiantly doesn't like the Lake. It was cold and it felt funny on her paws so she's happy to lay out in the sunshine; her attention fixed on the Boat in the middle of the water. Uncle Eddie had brought three big sticks that she had got very excited about but it turns out that these are going in the Boat as well. Maybe they can throw them for her when they get back.
Peaches must have dozed off for a while because its later when she hears the yelling. When she sits up the Boat is upside down in the Lake and Uncle Eddie is trying to pull Seth out of the water. She can't she Richie anywhere. Uncle Eddie is yelling Richie's name so Peaches starts barking so he'll here her as well. Still nothing. Something is wrong. Peaches doesn't even realise she's in the water until she's almost half way to the boat, the water is cold and far too deep but she needs to find Richie so she ignores it. She can see Richie now but he's struggling to keep his head above the water, the black things on his face that help him to see are missing. Peaches reaches him and grabs hold of his shirt with her teeth and starts pulling him back towards the shore line. Its harder to paddle whilst she's pulling him but she finally manages it. Uncle Eddie is already charging towards them and helping to drag Richie out of the water. He's coughing a lot but he seems ok which makes Peaches happy. She gives her fur a good shake just as Seth starts running towards them. Once he's sure that Richie is ok Uncle Eddie turns and gives her a really good head pat.
"Good Dog," He says as she strokes her, "Very good dog." Peaches wags her tail happily.
4.
Its quiet in the House for once and Peaches likes it like this. The Bad Man has been sleeping all day so Richie had spent all day playing Fetch with her outside and then given her a nice warm bath. She'd shaken her fur all ver him which made him make the funny noise she she so rarely hears from her two Small Humans. The Bad Man makes them sad a lot so Peaches tries her best to cheer them up by licking their faces or playing with them. Its nighttime now, Richie is sleeping in his bed and Peaches is curled up next to him, her head resting on his feet. He'd snuck her inside earlier and she'd had to hide under the bed until all the lights went off. Peaches doesn't like being left outside; t reminds her too much of the Nasty People that used to own her. Richie's bed is nice and warm and Peaches dozes off easily when she sleeps in here.
A noise outside the bedroom makes her ears prick up; she'd almost been asleep when the bedroom door creaks open. Peaches lifts her head up, her eyes trained on the door as it opens slowly. The Bad Man only comes in at night when Seth isn't here; he's at something called "Camp" which Richie has told her is because he doesn't pay attention in School. Richie talks to her a lot; especially at night. Peaches likes that. Sometimes he'll tell her things he learned at school or he'll read her stories from one of his books. The Bad Man is almost at the foot of the bed when Peaches lets out a low growl. He used to push her off the bed when she was small; all she could do was bark at him until he kicked her away. Back then she would hide under Richie's bed until the Bad Man left. Then Richie would pick her up and cuddle her and she would lick the salty water off his face. Peaches is big now though so she lets out another growl, louder this time. It makes the Bad Man stop for a moment but then he tries to move around to the other side of the room. Peaches jumps off the bed and snarls at him; it's even louder than before and all her teeth are bared. The Bad Man backs away from her so she does it again as she stalks towards him, snarling at him until he leaves the room. Peaches remains by the door, growling low in her throat, until she can't hear or smell the Bad Man on the other side anymore. Sometimes he comes back in later. Once she's satisfied he's gone, Peaches jumps back up on the bed beside Richie. Once she's settled herself back down next to him, her eyes are trained on the door and her ears pricked for any other movement. A small hand strokes the top of her head.
"Good Dog," Richie says quietly and Peaches wags her tail happily.
5.
The Summer months had been very hot this year; too hot to be left outside where theres no shade. Peaches had been laying on the kitchen floor where it was cool when Seth came in. He doesn't talk to her like Richie does but he stops to give her ear a scratch before he opens the Cold Box that keeps all the food inside. There never seems to be very much in it though and sometimes the boys stomachs make a loud rumbling noise. She's give them some of her food but Seth made Richie taste it off a spoon once and he'd been spat it back out so it must not taste nice to humans. Peaches likes her food but what she really likes the chicken from the Cold Box that Richie sometimes gives her. There must be some inside because she can smell it when Seth opens the door to the Cold Box. Maybe Seth will give her some if she's good. Peaches sits up and wines at Seth but he tells her no and nudges her away with his foot. Disappointed, Peaches goes back to laying on the cold tiles. Its very hot outside and the Bad Man hadn't noticed when she had snuck inside earlier on in the day. He'd been drinking from the big glass bottles that smelled funny all day. Peaches had licked one once but it didn't taste very nice. It must taste nice to him though because he's always drinking from them. The Bad Man had been snoring loudly in a chair in the front room all day so Seth had stayed outside in Orchard. Peaches wasn't allowed in the Orchard so she had had nobody to play with all day. Richie was at something called an "Optician" with Uncle Eddie which meant that he wouldn't be back until later. She had wanted to go as well but Uncle Eddie had made Richie take her into the back garden when she had tried to jump into the car with him.
Peaches is still thinking about the chicken when a loud smashing sound from behind her startles her. Before she can even lift her head the Bad Man starts shouting and she can hear his heavy footfalls as he storms into the kitchen. There's glass on the floor from something Seth had dropped. The Bad Man is shouting loudly at Seth, who is cowering in the corner, and calling him lots of bad names. Peaches doesn't like it when he does this. The Bad Man has his fist raised up which Peaches knows he uses to hurt the boys with. He's not quick enough though as Peaches forces her way between them just as the Bad Man's fist slams into her shoulder. It hurts a lot but she doesn't like seeing the big blue marks on Seth in the morning when he comes with Richie to give her her breakfast. If they let her stay in the house then the Bad Man wouldn't be able to hit them but the Bad Man keeps threatening to take her to something called the Pound. Whatever the Pound is it makes Richie sad so she stays outside. The Bad Man is looking at her with an Angry Face so Peaches barks loudly at him. He takes a step away from her so she barks again; louder this time until the Bad Man snaps at Seth to take her outside. Seth tugs at her collar but Peaches stays put until the Bad Man stumbles back to his chair, growling low in her throat. Its only when she hears him start to snore again that she allows Seth to take her back outside into the yard. Its still hot so Seth takes her to one of the big trees at the back where its shady. Peaches sits down next to him and pants softly in the heat.
"Good dog," Seth says as he feeds her bits of chicken from his sandwich and Peaches wags her tail happily.
6.
Peaches doesn't feel very well. Her tummy hurts and white foam keeps coming out of her mouth. Its also very hot outside but Peaches has been shivering with the cold all afternoon. The Bad Man had made her eat something that didn't taste very nice whilst Seth and Richie were at School. Peaches hadn't liked it when they went to School at first; she'd wined and cried thinking they weren't coming back. Shed been so excited to see them when they came home and Richie had petted her and cuddled her until she felt better. Now she prefers it when they're not here; it means the Bad Man has less chance to shout at them. Her tummy is still sore though and she wishes she could be inside but she's not allowed anymore. Peaches had bitten the Bad Man again two days ago when he'd tried to hit Seth so she'd been tied up outside ever since then. She could hear the Bad Man yelling from inside the house so she'd barked all night. Peaches likes biting the Bad Man; sometimes it stops him shouting so much. The other time had been when the Bad Man had been on top of Richie on the couch so she had bitten his leg. She hadn't been put outside then but Richie had told her that it was because it was a secret and the Bad Man would hurt Seth if Richie told anyone.
Seth arrived home a few hours later but Richie isn't with him. Sometimes Richie goes to something called Band which Seth makes fun of him for. He's with the Bad Man and he's holding something shinny in his hand. When he gets closer Peaches sees that it's not her food bowl or her lead. It's the thing the Bad Man sometimes points at the boys heads when he's shouting extra loud. Peaches tries to wag her tail but it hurts to get up so she just lays down again as more foam drips down her muzzle. The Bad Man is yelling at Seth and pointing at her which makes Seth start to cry. Peaches doesn't want Seth to get in trouble with the Bad Man or have the shinny thing pointed at him so she growls at him until he points the shinny thing at her instead. This seems to be what the Bad Man wants because he's smiling and talking to Seth in a low voice which is something he rarely does. Peaches wishes Richie was here, its already late and the Bad Man won't let him sneak her inside anymore. Richie would make her tummy feel better. Seth has wet stuff running down his cheeks and the Bad Man starts to get cross again so Peaches pulls herself to her feet and growls again. The white foam dribbles down her neck and onto the floor in a big puddle.
"Good dog," Seth says as he lifts the shiny thing up to her forehead and Peaches wags her tail happily.