狗命 / A Dog's Life

Walt Disney fans might have a laugh with this story I am going to tell. But this is what happened this morning and I am not crazy (just in case you might come to that conclusion).

On my way to work this morning, the bus was half-full and I was sitting close to the front. A blind man got onto the bus and he had this seeing-eye dog with him. Now, I do not own any pets nor do I have a lot of contacts with our four-legged friends. So, I could only assume it was the type that had been trained as a puppy to become a guide dog. Anyway, after his (or her) master sit down, it settled itself quietly and obediently as any certified guide dog would. I didn't pay much attention until at the next bus-stop, passengers who got onto the bus almost stepped on the dog because they couldn't see it lying on the floor. I almost yelped a few times when people's feet were almost on top of the poor beast. Fortunately, nothing happened, and I was about to get off the bus when the dog fixed (or should I say locked) its eyes on me and wouldn't let go. If it were a predator, then I understood why a prey would freeze by its gaze. But it was not a threatening look. The beast's eyes were deep and dark with no whites and in that pool of darkness, it told me the story of a sad dog's life (hey, I could only use human terms to describe the message I received). It was not that the master was nasty or abusive (being an analytical person, I did check out the general appearance of the dog and the look of its master at that point - there was no tangible evidence of abuse). But rather, the beast was not happy about being a guide dog at all !!!

After that little encounter, I stood up, taking care I would not step on the dog on my way out, and got off the bus. I was busy working all day and never gave it another thought until just now. I have been told many sad stories, met many sad people, but let me tell you, that dog's look was different. As I said, it told of a sad dog's life.

(Postscript: The story is a metaphor, and has little to do with talking to animals as in some Walt Disney movies. 後言: 以上故事含有隱喻,與『和路迪士尼』有關人懂獸語的影片沒有接連。)