Rose and Company

Living on the streets isn't always easy, especially when you're a 8-week-old puppy who's born on the streets. That's how it is for Rose, a border collie/german shepherd mix that is black on top, and brown on the bottom, two brown tips on both ears. The right ear is flopped over while the other was pointed. She had long fur and a slender build, thanks to her father

She looked out of place in the big city, where everything towered over her. For a pup her age, she was brave, not afraid of anything in this city. She was given the name Rose by her mother, Celeste, who was a border collie. Unfortunately, she couldn't be bothered to be there for her own pups. As far as Rose knew, she wouldn't find a suitable home for mixed breed puppies.

During this time, Rose tried to find food from the garbage. She made her way back to her hiding spot in a box after a failed attempt. While eating, she couldn't help but feel like she was being watched by someone. Her ears twitch back and forth as she started hearing the sound of paws coming from outside.

She backs out of the box and looks around, ready for a fight. "Come out! I'm ready for ya!" she growled, baring her tiny teeth. "Hey, take it easy there!" an unfamiliar voice said. Rose looked to her right and saw two dogs coming her way. One was a large Great Dane, who had to be the biggest canine she'd ever seen.

The other puppy was much smaller than the Great Dane, about the size of Rose. This puppy had a roughness to him; possibly a mutt. But he was a jack Russell terrier mix that was mostly white but had three different shades of brown on his head, and on the center of his back, grey socks on all four paws, and on the top of his muzzle.

Rose cocked her head and relaxed, both ears raised. "Easy there. Be cool, Einie!" the terrier mix said under his breath. Rose wasn't impressed by the terrier's flirtatious agenda, but she could tell that these dogs meant her no harm. "Who are you two?" Rose asked, her hackles raised a tiny bit.

"The name's Dodger," the terrier said slyly, "And what's your name, sweetheart?" Rose's ears folded back a little, seeing that he was being a flirt. It was as if he'd never came across puppies his own age, and certainly not as pretty as this one. He wanted a reaction out of her.

"It's Rose," Rose replied. "Well, Rose, we came at the right time because this puppy is gonna sweep you off of your paws!" Dodger said. Rose felt like she could trust these two, but remained skeptical because she was always met with hostility whenever she saw any other street dog.

"Alright. I'll come with you guys," Rose said, wagging her tail. "Sweet. We'll head to where we live. We'll introduce you to a special friend of ours," Dodger said with a smile. The extent of her exploration of the city was with her mother when she was 5 weeks old.

The three dogs start making their way to the barge, which was a houseboat that was parked at the bottom of the bay just outside of the city. It wasn't much but they called this place home.

"C'mon, let's go to the park first. I hear some birds that are wanting to be chased," Dodger said, raising his small tail. "You got it chief. I'm right behind ya. Maybe even get some food," Rose challenged. "She's speaking my language. I'm sooooo hungry," Einstein commented.

While making their way to the park, Rose found herself starting like the cocky terrier and the dopey Great Dane. They looked like the type of dogs she'd hang around with. Being around them made her feel the rhythm of the city, becoming one with it. After all, her own mother was a street dog.

After making it to the park, they had a blast chasing birds and rolling around the flourished green grass, they all settled down in the grass. Rose leaped forward and nipped on his semi-floppy ears. Rose laid down with her front legs stretched in front of her, her hind legs at her left side.

Dodger lay sprawled out on the ground with his belly pressed to the grass, his hind legs behind them, and his front legs stretched forward. Einstein laid in the same position but his hind legs were tucked by his sides, forelegs stretched forward.

"Y'know, you guys are really fun. I haven't had this much fun in so long," Rose said, wagging her tail. "I thought you'd like gettin' out and about. You got anywhere else to go?" Dodger asked with a smile.

"Other than that cardboard box? Not really. I've been waiting for my mother to return for the last few weeks," Rose answered. "Your mother? How old are you?" Dodger questioned, tilting his head.

"Eight weeks," Rose replied, "She's a street dog like us and I'm thinking my father is a pet. And I've got a brother but we got separated. I don't know where he is now," "You should come live with us, Rose!" Einstein suggested. "Yeah, Fagin would definitely love you," Dodger agreed.

Rose let her mind run wild for a moment, and she didn't believe that her mother would ever return. She had nothing left to lose. "Sure thing, Dodge. I got nowhere else to go," Rose said and thought of a question to ask him, "How about you? What about your family? Do you have any parents? Any siblings?"

Dodger looked away, trying to hide the hurt he was feeling. "I haven't seen her since I was really little. I've got Fagin and Einstein. They're all I need. I don't need any mother to look after me," he replied sadly. Rose realized that she crossed a line and her ears dropped. Einstein had gotten up to chase more birds and squirrels, as any dog would.

After a while, the three canines were approached by a messy-looking man. When Dodger and Einstein saw him, they rushed over and jumped on him, greeting him with many licks. Rose stayed where she was, her head lowered a little, keeping both eyes on the human.

She had never seen any human like him before. Although he looked friendly, she still didn't feel comfortable enough to approach him. From the looks of him, he hadn't been properly cleaned in a while. It didn't matter to the shepherd mix because she's always been scruffy herself.

Dodger looked at Fagin with great affection, taking the puppy by surprise. The terrier glanced at the shepherd puppy and said, "Fagin's fine, Rose. You can trust him," She trusted Dodger despite only knowing him for a short time.

She cautiously took a few steps, smelling the human cautiously. Smelling closely, she caught the scent of dog biscuits. Any human she's come across were always hostile towards her. She wagged her tail hesitantly as she approached.

"Who's your friend, Dodger?" Fagin wondered, kneeling down to her height. He held out his hand as an invitation. This man lived with dogs for a while, he knew how to take in a pup with ease. Rose caught the scent of his hand and found that he wasn't going to hurt her.

"Do you have a name, girl?" Fagin asked, petting her on the head. Dodger had seen a single rose by the water, a blue one. He quickly ran over and picked it with his teeth. The puppy carried it over by the stem and brought it over to Fagin.

"Whatcha got there, Dodger? A rose?" Fagin questioned. Dodger barked and set it down next to the shepherd mix. He sat down and panted happily his small tail wagging. "Rose? Is that your name, girl?" Fagin asked, picking up the blue rose.

Rose wagged her tail and yipped twice. "Well, hi there, Rose, it's nice to meet you," the man laughed, taking her paw to shake it. "You don't got a collar. How about you come live with us if you don't have a home?" Fagin offered. Rose looked at Dodger and the terrier smiled. Rose barked happily, bouncing back and forth.

"Alrighty then. Let's go. Looks like it's gonna rain tonight," Fagin said, standing back up. Fagin started to walk out of the park and the three dogs follow. "You're gonna love our home, Rose. It's just out of the city so nobody bothers us," Dodger said, giving Rose a nudge. He was thrilled to bring a girl back home.

As the sky became darker, the party of four make it back to the old wooden barge, which was hidden under the docks. It looked like it'd been forgotten a long time ago, debris was little in the water surrounding it.

"Here we are. Home, sweet, home," Dodger said proudly, smiling at the abandoned boat. Rose wasn't expecting the boat to be there. It surely was an upgrade from the cardboard box she'd been staying in. She couldn't wait to be able to finally relax with a roof over her head.

"Wow! This is sure better than that cardboard box that's ready to fall on my head. Is it safe though? Is it gonna stay there?" Rose asked, tilting her head to the side with her mix-matched ears perked up. Fagin and Einstein went on ahead while Dodger stayed behind with Rose.

"Oh, sure. This boat isn't going anywhere. We wouldn't get far without capsizing. And it's a roof over our heads," Dodger assured, trotting forward. He glanced back over his shoulder to assure the shepherd mix that it was okay.

She trusted Dodger and his human, who had welcomed her with open arms. Although she was a bit hesitant about moving forward. Dodger sensed her nervousness. "It's fine, Rose. You're gonna fit in with us," he said.

With those words, she walked closer to him as they made their way down the stairs. They were inside the old barge. "Welcome home, Rose," Einstein said happily, wagging his thin, long tail. "Look at me, bringing girls home already, it's something, huh?" Dodger laughed.

Fagin kneels down and gently picks Rose up by her underarms. "Welcome to your new home, Rose. You're gonna make a great member to our gang," Fagin said with a smile. Rose's tail wags and she licked Fagin's face. "Let's not bring so many friends back here, Dodger," Fagin says, setting Rose back down on the floor.

Rose leaped over at Dodger, knocking him over onto his back. Einstein rolled over onto his back as he joined in their playtime. Not only that, the three canines jumped onto their master, licking him on the face. Rose's tail spun in jovial circles as she realized that she found herself a home.

Rose had new friends and a new family. Nothing could get better than this. They spent the rest of the day playing together and chatting with one another. After it was dark, Rose had finally gotten tired and could barely keep her eyes open.

Rose had spotted a pile of blankets off in the corner. After sniffing around it, she walked on it, moving it around with her front paws. "Looks like you found yourself a place to sleep, Rose," Fagin said, stretching his arms before laying down in the living chair that sat in front of a tv.

Einstein laid down in a make-shift tent with half of his body sticking out. Dodger had himself a make-shift bed made out of a tire, blankets, and a tattered umbrella. "Goodnight, you guys," Fagin said, falling asleep.

Rose faced away from them but was unable to fall asleep. She'd been sleeping on her own for so long. So she stood up and toddled over to Dodger, hopped on his bed, and laid down with him. She rested her head and left forepaw on his shoulder before finally falling asleep.

Dodger woke up after feeling the shepherd laying on him. He saw Rose sleeping on him. All he did was smile at her before laying his head back down to sleep. Tomorrow was gonna be a big day for them