Rein sighed. His neighbor was a really strange person. “Nice to meet you, Ian.”

            A dog pound. It’s like a lost-and-found, except for a different character of the things, they keep inside. Rein didn’t feel really well as a living luggage. Well, they fed him, he had a place to sleep, but… he was closed almost all day in a relatively small pen. His neighbor, Ian, became his close friend. Well, Rein had to admit they wouldn’t have been friends if they had met in a normal life. It was misery, which brought them together. And misery can form a really strong friendship. “Ian?”

            “Hmmm?” the wolf dog yawned. “I always wanted to ask you… what’s your breed?” Rein moved closer to the fence, which was dividing the pen into two parts. One was inhabitet by Ian and the second was Rein’s. “I am a purebred Wolf dog. I suppose… Czechoslovakian wolf dog, man.” Ian lounged lazily and smirked. “Today is Tuesday, isn’t it?”

            “Yeah… I suppose it is. And?” Ian rolled around and looked at Rein: “Well… the boy will come. Yeah, I call him a boy, but he is pretty old for a boy. He is working here for free… once a week, he comes and take some of us for a walk. It’s pleasant… at least you don’t need to-”

            “I get it,” Rein sighed. He needed someone so badly. He needed a master. Or… “Have you ever been in love, bro’?”

            “In love? Yeah… once or twice… but it ended after we did it. You know… breeding.”

            “It must be wonderful…”

            “Breeding? Well it-“

            “No, I mean to be loved,” Rein growled sharply. Ian laughed: “Hey, what about your parents? They love you, no?” the Doberman had to admit Ian had an unpleasant ability: Asking such questions. “I don’t remember my mother… and my father?” Rein sighed and told Ian everything. When he was done, Ian nodded. “So you see… why do you think your father didn’t love you?” Rein’s expression changed. Of course, why hadn’t he realized? “I mean,” Ian continued, “He loved you so much he didn’t show or tell you how much he loved you. He knew you would have to part one day. And he didn’t want you to suffer or miss him and-“ Ian stopped when he realized Rein’s eyes became wet. “He… He… loved me…”

            “Yeah, I would say so…”

            “And I… told him I hated him...” Rein sobbed. “It happens,” Ian replied.

            “Shut up! Shut the **** up!” Rein shouted and jumped away from Ian. He hated him so much now, because he had told him the truth. And that was it… simply too much.

Ian sighed and looked at the Doberman. “Come on, the boy will come soon. I heard he loves dobes.” Rein sighed again. Everything was so clear now… but he couldn’t do anything. “Does he?” Rein whispered. “Dunno… I just heard.” Ian smirked.

            The boy… well… although Ian called him so, it was a young man. Rein guessed he had to be at least 21 years old. He was a student and because couldn’t have a dog of his own, he volunteered for the dog pound. He was doing it for free, but he was happy with it. He loved it, to be exact. And now, he was passing Rein’s pen. Something was moving inside… he looked there and saw Rein. “My god…,” He gasped. “What’s his name?” He called at the woman who was writing something outside. “You mean the dobe? Rein,” she replied.

The young man opened the pen and looked at Rein. “Boy… you are amazing…” He kneeled in front of the Doberman and let him to sniff his hand. “How did you get here?” He stroked Rein’s head slowly. “What about a walk, Rein?” The Doberman didn’t respond. He knew how his last walk had ended. But on the other hand, it couldn’t be worse. So after a while, he wagged his tail and looked at the man who took liking to him quickly. “You should go,” Ian added, “it seems he likes you, man…” Rein sighed and stood up and let the man to lead him out of his pen. Leaving the iron bars behind his back, Rein felt something he hadn’t for so long. He was happy. The world seemed much brighter and friendlier without those bars in sight. Rein barked and wanted to run around the man. He was free once again. Not for long, but it was much better than nothing. The man smiled and walked outside from the dog pound and walked down the street… Rein wanted this moment to last forever…

            When they returned, both were happy. “I will return tomorrow, boy… I promise,” the man whispered when he patted Rein, and left him in his pen. When he was locking it, the woman came and looked at Rein. “A great dog, isn’t he?”

            “The most amazing I have ever seen,” the man replied, “you know, I would take him home if I could. It seems he likes me.” Rein was sniffing the man’s hand meanwhile whining.

“But… I can’t… The school and stuff.” The woman looked at her companion and said: “Don’t worry… I am sure you will get your own dog soon.” The man looked around and headed to out of the pound. “I will come tomorrow!” he cried back, whistling a tune.

            A week passed. It’s a lot of time… it’s long enough for anything to happen. Like for the beginning of a friendship. Every day, Rein was waiting for the man and the man came. But one day…

            “It’s just about a curly tail.”

            “No, it isn’t!”

            “Well, I bet it is… if I could curl my tail, I would be outta here long time ago.”

            “Nah, Ian, that’s nonsense,” Rein rolled on the ground and blinked at the wolf dog who was lounging around with a lazy and bored expression on his face. Ian smirked back and was about saying something, but he jerked suddenly. “Wha-?” Rein wondered and looked around. He spotted the source of Ian’s distraction. It was a man with a Doberman female on a leash. Rein gasped and jumped up whining. He sat down when the man stopped and talked to the woman. He didn’t hear them for the rest of the dogs were barking quite loudly. Soon, he realized the man had come to get yet another dog and he had taken his dog along to see if the new dog would appeal to both of them. They didn’t spend a long time in front of each pen. It seemed when the man was satisfied, the female dog wasn’t. And when she was, her master didn’t show much happiness. Rein didn’t know what to do anyway. He was just standing there and watching those two with desire in his brown eyes. And suddenly… they were standing in front of him. Rein ignored the man and focused on the female who was blushing slightly. “Hello,” she smiled and looked to the ground. “Hi… I am Reinhardt… or Rein…” He smiled too. “Roxie…” Her voice was smooth and sweet. Soothing and exciting at the same time.

“And why are you here, Roxie?” Rein wagged his tail and came closer to the iron bars, which were saying: ‘Your world ends here. Get used to it.’ “Well, my master decided to get one more dog… and he wants me to help him.”

            “Thought so…” they were looking at each other for about two minutes. Without a single word. Then her master looked at Rein and rubbed his chin. “So do you like him, Roxie? Well…,” he stroked her, “let’s go… we shall return tomorrow…” Roxie smiled and whispered to Rein: “I like your scent, Rein…”

            “I like yours, too,” he replied and watched them leaving. “Man, can you even realize how lucky you are?” Ian interrupted his sweet dreams (including the master and Roxie).

“Huh?” Ian rolled his eyes and smirked: “They didn’t bother themselves to look at the rest of us. I think you will be out really soon.”

            The man kept his promise and he came again the next day. And Roxie was with him, too. They headed directly to Rein’s pen while the woman was talking to the man. “…and of course, feel free to walk him,” she nodded when was unlocking the pen. “It seems he is well trained and obedient.” Rein couldn’t believe it. The bars were gone and Roxie was standing in front of him. “Will you join us, Rein?” He yelped with excitement and barked a few times. He left the pen, followed by Ian’s envious look.

            They went to the nearest park. Rein enjoyed every second of the walk and he was showing his feelings in a way his father wouldn’t have approved of. It was like a miracle. He could go everywhere, he wasn’t restricted by an iron bar, he was free. ‘Good old times,’ Rein thought and looked around. The park was full of other dogs and humans and no wonder. The weather was almost perfect. The sunlight was touching all the leaves on the trees in the park gently, like it was afraid it would burn them if it shined a little bit more. And the grass shone in numerous shades of green. Humans were resting in the shade of the trees and everybody