Work Text:
My master is good.
He says I am good, too, so I must be good.
I used to have another master, once. I miss her, but I like my new master. He is smart and kind. He brought me to his house from the cold and taught me many things, but I was not the first. His family is large. He treats me just like all the rest, but I know I am his favorite.
I have brothers and sisters now, which I never had before. They are good, too, or so my master says. I think they are excitable. They barked and growled at me when they met me. They are loud sometimes, they bark. But my master says they are good, so they must be good.
I love them all very much.
Together, we keep our master safe. He loves us, and we love him, too. He takes care of us. He is quiet and kind and he gives us good food and lets us run outside all the way to the fence, as long as we come back when he calls. And even when he calls, he calls softly.
My master is only loud in his sleep. Sometimes, he cries out with his eyes closed. I know he is sleeping. He never shouts when he is awake. He is always a good, gentle, soft master. We all feel worried those nights when our master shouts, because our master shouts like he is afraid. We know there is nothing to fear so we try to sleep, too, but when his shouts get too loud we come to comfort him. Even if he is not awake to see us, we comfort him. We are good dogs.
Sometimes, my master goes places at night. I do not like it, because it is cold and my master has no fur to keep him warm. We try to follow him, but sometimes he walks very far. The others stop when we reach the fence, but I stay with my master. They will wait for us to come back. That is why I am such a good dog. I am smart, I know my master needs me. I stay with my master even when we go past the fence. I make sure he is warm until he comes home.
Sometimes my master goes away for a long time. At least, it feels like a long time. We are sad without him, and our sadness makes the time go slower. We have no choice but to wait for him. He always says goodbye before he goes, and we have food and water, and each other for company, but we are still very lonely until he returns.
We are still sad until we hear him at the door and we rush to meet him. He is home! We are happy! He greets us all one by one, and we greet him with happy barks and licks and wags of our tails. Our master brought our happiness back. He is a good master.
My master has a friend, now. We have never seen our master’s friends before. We never knew he had them. The others are nervous, but I like him immediately. He is quiet, like my master, and he brings us good food. His food is even better than my master’s. Is is soft and warm and it tastes very good. I look forward to his visits. He brings us food and he brings the master happiness, so I am happy, too.
Sometimes he stays and occupies our master for a long time and I wonder if he likes us. The others do not like him. They bristle when he approaches, but they are excitable like that. I am smarter than they are, and I know he is only here to give us his good food and to talk to our master. And I know he likes me, because he gives me an extra piece of meat for sitting beside him when the others will not. The others think he is not good, but they eat his food anyway.
Besides, our master says he is good, so he must be good.
Good dogs trust their masters’ friends.
And we are good dogs.