A Dog's Purpose Novels & Stories

DAMIAN BLACKWOOD Those three days were the longest I had ever endured. For the first time, I understood why he cherished his dogs so much. A dog is often dismissed as nothing more than an animal, most likely because they only bark, wag, and play. Maybe it was because I was not a big fan of the species, but I quickly realised that their barks, whines, yelps, and howls all meant something profound to them, and they were better feelers than I was.

"This place is heavily guarded. Make sure you know the layout inside and out. No slip-ups. Leave no trace." "I got it, Don, everything will go smoothly." "Good. Keep me updated." Macholo stood, ready to leave, but just then, the dog, started whimpering, trying to hide behind the Mafia member holding the leash. The Don’s expression shifted. He looked at the dog, noticing his distress. "So, what’s the plan with the dog?" he asked, his tone softer than before. Macholo hesitated. "We were going to use him to smuggle drugs, like the others."

Even they knew not to bite the hand that fed them, not too hard anyway. "They are lovely animals," Ishaq said without thinking, feeling too at ease around his master to feel fear. "The dogs where I used to live were mostly feral. Their job was to reduce rats and other vermin, but of course they also became quite territorial. I was chased on more than one occasion." Am-Heh gave a sound that seemed remarkably like a chuckle, giving Ishaq a small lift of confidence. "May I speak more candidly, great one?"

Even as I said that I realised that Thor wasn’t growling at him which meant he probably thought of him as his saviour too from the alley. “If you keep coddling him he won't learn how to survive in difficult situations and instead look for a place to hide. And if your dog can't protect you then what good is it for?” “He is not here to be my bodyguard.” I snapped at him. “Everything does not have to have an ulterior motive, Ephraim.”

Crystal passed the dog’s leash to Nancy and said, “Here. I think you will need him more than I will, at least until things settle down.” Nancy accepted the leash with a trembling hand. “Is he safe?” she asked nervously. “For you and me, it is.” Crystal chuckled. “But God help anyone who tries to hurt us. And because he is a male, he will be extra loyal.” “What does an animal’s sex have to do with anything?” She sounded skeptical. “Dogs appreciate beauty as much as humans do,” Crystal explained. “Didn’t you know that?” Nancy shook her head, and her cheeks turned pink. “I didn’t...”

An added bonus was that it was near a large park in the middle of the city where many people jog or run around. I liked being so close to open spaces, and since I lived in a rather large city, this was as close as I got. As big dogs needed a lot of running, many used the park for that purpose. Quite a few had huskies like me, and because they were bred for sledge pulling, they needed to run long distances. My enjoyment of running was why I adopted Axel in the first place. Still deep in thought and musing about my second reason for being tired, I stopped to look for cars before crossing the road to the park entrance. I could see a few dogs and runners in the park this early, but none I knew.

If any of them got hurt, it would tear her apart. These days, the dogs' job was guarding the shelter and the nearby residential area. With them around, her home base was rock solid. "Woof, woof, woof!" Even after she sat down, Summer kept barking at her nonstop. Hayley knew exactly what he wanted. "I'll spend more time with you from now on." "Woof, woof, woof!" "Woof, woof, woof!" "And all of you, too. I won't leave anyone out."

I heard Shelly say, “You should see the dog I found today. I always introduce them to the rest of the pack slowly. As soon as I saw him, I knew he was my next project. I think I may train him as drug dog or a cadaver dog.” I asked, “Can a cadaver dog also be a search and rescue dog?” Shelly smiled, “Wait until you see him before you decide.” She opened another bedroom door, and a black puppy was running to me. I awkwardly knelt, “Hey buddy. Why don’t we call you Zeus?”

He wanted to crawl in a hole and die there. “Seriously?” She asked again, stepping closer and closer to him; he had to step back, but she didn’t back down and followed him until they fell over and landed on the couch. Rory blinked, trying to get himself. “Yeah, but except for the boring Documentaries and dumb animal life…” “Cats aren’t dumb…” She gazed at him, then chuckled, “You like cats?” “Yes… but dogs seem more useful to humans.” “Huh?” “You know, dogs can smell cancer and other ailments.”

"No man can make a wolf." Halvard was quiet a long moment. When he spoke, his voice was slow and measured. "You know breeding. What a man breeds, he breeds for a purpose. For some trait or quality. If a farmer breeds chickens, he does not want birds with broken legs. If a huntsman breeds dogs, he does not want hounds who cannot chase." "No, he does not," I said. My eyes were still on the floor. I did not want to hear the rest and I could not stop him saying it.