The Rescued Dog Goes to the Police (Final Episode)

When I changed jobs in January of this year and moved from Osaka to Shiga, I decluttered my home in Osaka.

At that time, I decided to throw away everything I no longer used all at once, so I took everything out of my closets and storage, lined it up on the floor, and sorted it.

Clothes I no longer wear, bags I no longer use, a mysterious string.

Hmm? A string?

Wait, this has a product tag on it...

What was this string for?

It's a fairly sturdy string, isn't it?

AEON? A pet shop?

Hmm, what was it again?

...

Ah!

It's the leash I bought when I was planning to get a dog, but ended up not using!

The leash from about five years ago, when I rescued a stray dog, was still here.

1. Previous episodes

The Rescued Dog Goes to the Police (EP.3)

The Rescued Dog Goes to the Police (EP.2)

The Rescued Dog Goes to the Police (EP.1)

2. Main Story

The fourth day after leaving it with the police

According to the police, if the number of animals they are holding increases and the cages become full, they prioritize the new animals, meaning the animals that were left there first are taken to the animal shelter.

If the dog I saved because I thought it was dangerous when it ran out into the road ended up being put in a cage, sent to the animal shelter, and eventually dying because of my strange sense of justice...

Would it have been better to just not catch it and let it remain a stray? Or perhaps, even if I hadn't intervened, its owner might have found it...

The more I thought about it, the more guilt welled up inside me, and I couldn't sit still.

Even while working, I was somewhat absent-minded and couldn't concentrate.

Oh well, I'm single anyway, and I already have a cat; I can manage one or two puppies if I put my mind to it.

Alright! I'll keep it.

If I go to the police today and the owner isn't found, I'll keep it at my place until the owner is found.

Once I decided that, I thought about what I would need, assuming I was going to keep a Yorkshire Terrier at home.

First, a toilet, I suppose...

It was wearing a collar, so for now, maybe a leash for walks...

Also, food, and a tray to put the food in?

Well, for starters, any dish will do, I guess...

Do Yorkshire Terriers eat regular crunchy dog food? Or the wet canned stuff?

Well, I can buy the food at a convenience store or supermarket, but I'll need to go to a pet shop for the leash.

With that in mind, evening came, and I dashed out at 5:30 to go to the pet shop.

Since it was strong enough to bite me, maybe I should get a fairly sturdy leash...

Wow, a nice-looking leather leash is quite expensive... Oh well, it might be something I use for a long time, so I'll go with this nice one.

Feeling like I'd made a good purchase, I left the pet shop with a slightly excited feeling and headed straight for the police station.

I got off at the station nearest to the police station and jogged toward it.

Ah, I see...

I forgot the most important thing!

A name, I hadn't decided on a name.

Hmm.

What should I call it?

It bit me, so how about Gab?

Heh...

That's nice, Gab-chan, huh?

That's actually pretty cute.

Gab-chan, Gab-chan.

Thinking about that with a warm feeling, I arrived at the police station and immediately went to the lost and found desk to explain the situation.

I asked if I could at least keep the dog at my place until the owner was found.

The police said, "Understood. We will process that," and I submitted the copy of the paperwork from when I first dropped off the dog.

I could hear the sound of the female officer operating the terminal with her right hand while holding down the document number with her left index finger for a while.

A reunion with Gab-chan, huh? I wonder if he's doing well. Since he was feisty enough to bite me, I'm sure he's doing just fine.

...

This is taking an awfully long time, isn't it?

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Huh?

"I apologize for the delay in contacting you, but the owner came and picked him up today."

What?

“That’s great news, it was safely returned to its owner.”

What!

Well, I suppose that’s good... yeah, that’s what’s best, isn’t it.

And so, only the leash remained, and I forgot about it until I moved.

I wonder if Gab-chan (alias) is still living happily with its owner.

I suddenly looked at my left thumb and saw a small scar left in the middle of the nail.

(The End)

Thank you so much for reading until the end.☺️✨