Short Story: The Dog Park

 The Dog Park

Spring was warm and sunny where Delilah lived, and she was incredibly grateful for it. Her large furry roommate Pepper, needed to be walked everyday, rain, snow, or shine. The grey and white husky would practically drag her out the door, if it seemed like she might forget. Today was no different and Delilah struggled to pull on her left sandal, while hopping on one foot and fending Pepper off with her free hand. After a few minutes and much flailing about she was ready to go. Another bit of luck was that her apartment was only a couple blocks from the local dog park, and Pepper adored going to play with all his little friends. Once his harness and leash were secured, they were out the door.

The walk to the park was warm and pleasant. The trees were lush green and flowers bloomed out of various window boxes. There wasn't a cloud in sight and she was glad she wore one of her flowy summer dresses, as the sun was high and the temperature was rising from warm to hot. Pepper trotted along merrily. His bushy tail wagging back and forth in perfect time with his steps. She heard the dogs before the park came into view and Pepper stepped just a bit faster. He slowed down once they reached the gate and as soon as they passed over onto the soft grass she unlatched his harness. 

He trotted towards the other dogs with caution and restraint. He loved, loved, loved the park, but he was also very conscious of the fact that 99% of the time he was the biggest dog there. He was always extra polite with the smaller dogs and even let them jump on him and tug on him. As long as he got to play, he didn't mind. Delilah on the other hand decided to relax. She found a shady bench and pulled out her favorite book. A spicy romance with an innocuous cover. She'd read a few pages, check on Pepper, then read a few more. It was so peaceful and she was content. 

"Hey, is that your dog!?" The voice cut through the air, and Delilah's head shot up to see Pepper darting across the grass in a random direction. 

"Pepper!" She shouted indignantly. Her book and bag tumbled to the ground as she chased after her dog like a mad woman. Keeping up with a husky was like chasing a car, but she hopped if he knew she was after him he would stop. This was completely unlike him; he'd never run from her before. She saw his hind legs and tail swishing ahead of her, and watched him duck under a lunch table. It gave her time to catch up and she got closer, she realized there was another dog there. Standing in the grass, not even a foot tall, was a little chocolate terrier barking his brain out. Pepper was hiding under the table whimpering in distress, and making those whining howling noises that huskies make. 

"Oh, Pepper." She sighed in exasperation. "Did this little guy chase you all the way over here? Look at him, he'd drown in your water bowl." 

The terrier did not let up in his barking and Pepper continued to whine, as she tried to think of a plan to get him out. She decided to pick the little guy up and find his owner if she could. He had a collar so he probably wasn't a stray. She approached him carefully and when she knelt behind him, he jumped with a start and turned on her with a yip. She held still as he eye'd her wearily and gave her a sniff. 

"That's it little buddy." She said softly, reaching out a hand. He nuzzled her palm and gave it a lick before he started wagging his tail so fast it made his whole butt wiggle. "Yeah, buddy I'm a friend." 

She gave him a few good pets before picking him up around his middle. He didn't wiggle or kick, and seemed quite comfortable in her arms. It was only after she had him safely secured that Pepper poked his head and started to wiggle his way out of hiding. He looked to her with all the love and admiration a dog could. 

"Oh Pepper, What am I going to do with you." She said. She prepared to walk back towards the other pet owners, when a voice snapped-

"Why do you have my dog?" A woman in ripped jeans and a black pullover covered in constellations stood by with her arms crossed. Her brow was furrowed in frustration. 

"Your dog was chasing my dog." Delilah said matter-of-fact. The woman looked from Delilah to Pepper, to the terrier, and back to Pepper. The husky was looking at her with his big puppy eyes and made a sad little noise in his throat. 

"Ohhhh," She said and put harms down awkwardly. "Uhm, I'm sorry? I kinda lost track of him." 

"He seems like a handful." Delilah said with a good natured smile, as she held the dog out to his person. The woman had a bob haircut dyed such a dark shade of blue it looked almost black, and she had round glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose. It drew attention to her dark eyes in a way that Delilah liked. 

"Yeah, this is PB's first time at the dog park." The woman said and gave the dog a stern look. "I thought he was ready, but I guess not."

"PB?" Delilah questioned.

"Peanut butter." She replied. The dog licked her nose at the sound of his name, ignoring the fact he was supposed to be in trouble. "And uhm, I'm Onyx."

"I'm Delilah, and this is Pepper." She introduced herself and her husky. 

"I'm sorry PB gave you a hard time Pepper." Onyx spoke directly to him. 

"Would like to sit for a while." Delilah asked hopefully. "It's getting pretty hot." 

"Yeah." Onyx said, smiling. "I'd like that."

(Thank you for reading! This was obviously a lot more fluffy then some of my previous work, but I really like it, and might type up a part two to this in the future!)