Beneath the Fluff - Can't Hold On

The alleyways are thick with the darkness of night and the howls of street dogs fighting in the shadows. The streets are more of the same. It's a dog-eat-dog world out here, literally. I should know.

It's nice to meet you. I'm Shooter, a German Shepherd/Husky mix. My people dropped me off in New York City when I was about a year old. Now, I fight for my life in the streets.

A snarl issues from the alley behind me. A challenge. I've heard that snarl before, too. It belongs to a pitbull with a bite like, well, a pitbull. I howl in response. Challenge accepted. I lunge into the dark and bite down hard on a hunk of his leg. He growls in my ear and turns to bite back, but I release and dodge the attack. I leap at him again and this time land a bite to his neck. He whimpers and tucks his tail. I let him go and he slinks into the night. I hate killing other dogs unless I have to.

Turning back into the street, I run across, avoiding cars and their screaming drivers. I need to make it back to my den, which, in reality, is just a pile of garbage in another dark, distant alleyway. Finally at my destination, I collapse onto my side, starving, thirsty, and bleeding. Another typical night. I fall asleep listening to the sound of horns honking and the smell of sewage lingering in my nostrils.

"There he is! That's the dog!"

I'm rudely awakened to humans shouting at the end of my alleyway. I open my eyes and there, lo and behold, stand a woman and three Animal Control officers. I jump to my feet. They were here for me.

I run for the far end of my alley, but another officer is waiting for me. Snaring me in his net, I thrash and squirm, but I'm caught fast. I bark and bare my teeth, trying to scare the man, but it's hard to look intimidating when you're caught in an oversized fishing net.

Another officer walks over.

"I'm gonna have to trank him." I'm jabbed in the side with a needle. I fight for consciousness, because if I let go, I'll never see my home again.

But it's a losing battle, and, before I know it, I reach the tipping point, and I can't hold on.

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