"The 'Magic' Words My Beloved Cat Gave Me: How 20 Years with a Stray Cat Led Me to the TEDx Stage" Episode 8

"The Promise of the Right Hand: What Emma, a Former Stray Dog, Taught Me"

"We will never keep a dog again."

That was the vow my mother and I had made to each other on the day we lost Belle.

However, the morning walk time that had suddenly opened up was far too quiet, and we could not bear the loneliness.

Before we knew it, we were visiting the adoption center of "Peace Wanko Japan" in Nara.

In front of us as we looked for a new family member was a large dog named Kuranosuke-kun.

It happened while I was giving treats to the dogs in the free space.

"...Um, excuse me. I don't usually offer guidance like this, but..."

The staff member pointed at my hand with a voice that sounded bewildered, yet somehow surprised.

"On your right hand..."

When I lowered my gaze, there was a brown dog, much smaller than Kuranosuke-kun.

She was trembling all over, and she had wrapped her front paws tightly around my right hand.

That was how we met her.

A mixed-breed girl, estimated to be three years old.

She had a slender, supple body, but her eyes were fixed with the emotion of 'fear'.

Her original name was 'Pantene'.

However, we run a hair salon.

'That's the same name as the shampoo!'

I couldn't help but laugh, and I thought of a new name.

I named her 'Emma,' taking the name from the protagonist of my favorite manga, 'The Promised Neverland'.

I wanted her to be like her, someone who brightly and energetically carves out a future even in the midst of a harsh fate.

I put that wish into her name.

Life with Emma was a series of trial and error.

For her, having once been a stray dog, the world created by humans was filled with terror. The sound of car engines, the noise of construction work, people passing by on the street.

Seeing her become so scared that she couldn't move, I learned something.

'Instead of forcing her to match our pace, we must walk at her speed.'

That this was the most important thing of all.

However, Emma had a special talent.

Even though she was afraid of humans, she loved other dogs.

No matter how grumpy a dog she met, once Emma approached them, they would mysteriously open their hearts.

'Emma, you are truly good at making friends.'

She was a genius at communication, to the point that even those around us were surprised.

Another thing that changed her was 'baked sweet potatoes'.

Usually, Emma would hide away in her safe crate, but when my mother or I came home with baked sweet potatoes, she would twitch her nose and jump out with surprising speed.

The timid version of her was nowhere to be seen, and I found her inability to resist her appetite absolutely adorable.
Since Emma loved baked sweet potatoes so much, a part-time worker at my mother's beauty salon would sometimes bring them as a treat for her.

That day, the trembling front paw that grabbed my right hand.

Now, with those same paws, she has made countless friends,
and every day she kicks the ground with strength as we head out for a walk.

There are still many things she is afraid of, but Emma possesses a talent even greater than that. Listening to the sound of her footsteps as she sets her own pace, we are walking together again today.

"Episode 9"