05/16/2025
At 4 AM, a Dog Began Barking Behind the Houses, Growing Louder by 5.
Around four in the morning, somewhere behind the rows of terraced houses, a dog began to bark. By five, the noise had reached a proper racket. Bleary-eyed commuters stumbled out of bed, grumbling at the hysterical yapping. By half past, the usual stream of people had started trickling out towards their jobs.
The first to actually investigate were a man and woman—husband and wife, presumably—who decided enough was enough. They trudged in the direction of the garages and soon spotted the culprit: a German shepherd, barking relentlessly towards the houses. Behind it, sprawled on the pavement, lay a man. The couple hurried over, realising the dog was calling for help.
But the closer they got, the more aggressive the barking became. Proper guard dog, this one—no chance of getting near. The woman suggested ringing for an ambulance.
The paramedics arrived in no time. As they stepped out, the woman warned them about the dog. Oddly enough, though, the moment the ambulance pulled up, the barking stopped. The shepherd trotted back to its owner and sat quietly beside him.
The medics edged closer—no reaction.
“What now?”
“Seems clever enough. I’ll go in. If she lunges, pepper-spray her.”
Crouching cautiously, one paramedic checked the man’s pulse—weak but there. Mid-thirties, bloke, significant blood loss, abdominal wound. Quick bandaging, a couple of injections, all while the dog watched intently.
By now, a small crowd had gathered—though wisely keeping a ten-metre buffer. Nobody fancied testing the shepherd’s patience.
They fetched a stretcher, loaded the man into the ambulance. The dog? Strictly no passengers. So it sat there, staring as the vehicle rolled away… then took off after it.
The hospital wasn’t far. The shepherd kept pace, lagging then sprinting, never losing sight. At the security barrier, the ambulance stopped.
“That’s his dog,” the driver explained.
The guard sighed. “And what am I supposed to do?” He turned, barking commands: “Stay! Down! Heel!”
Confused, the dog hesitated… then obeyed, planting itself just outside the gate, eyes fixed on the ambulance until it vanished.
An hour passed. The shepherd shifted closer to the fence, out of the way of traffic. The guards, initially wary, soon realised it wasn’t going anywhere.
“What do we do?”
“Nothing. It’ll leave eventually.”
“Or not. What if it’s waiting for good?”
“Then we’ll deal with it. But no feeding—you’ll get sacked.”
“Right. Let’s just… see what happens.”
Morning came. The dog hadn’t budged. The shift changed, and one guard decided to investigate. “I’ll check on the bloke. Make sure animal control doesn’t get called. And… maybe scrounge some food.”
Forty minutes later, he returned with a plastic tray of leftover meat and a bowl of water.
“You can’t eat here,” he muttered, setting it under a tree. “Come on, then.”
The dog studied him, unmoving.
“Fine. Suit yourself.”
Slowly, it stood, sniffed the offerings, then gulped the water.
A week later, the man—now recovering in a ward—had no idea where his dog was. They’d served together, left the army together. He refused to believe she’d just vanish.
Meanwhile, the shepherd had relocated from the gate to the trees—still watching. The guards sneaked it scraps. Finally, one decided to deliver the news.
In the ward, the guard approached the bed. “You’re Alex Fletcher?”
“Yes…?”
“That German shepherd—yours?”
“*Was?*”
“*Is*. She’s been camped outside the hospital all week. We’ve been feeding her.”
Alex laughed, shaking his head.
“Not yours, then?”
“Oh, she’s mine. Alma. Served with me. Clever as they come.”
The guard grinned. “Yeah, we noticed.”
“Could you—hand me that tissue?” Alex rubbed it over his face, then tucked it into a plastic bag. “Give this to her. She’ll understand.”
Outside, the guard placed the bag on the ground. Alma sniffed it, carefully extracted the tissue, then carried it to the tree. She lay down, resting her head on it.
Epilogue: Alma waited. And when Alex finally walked out, the reunion was—well, let’s just say tissues were needed all round. They’d saved each other before. She knew he’d come back. And he did.
Credit: Respective to the author
