I remember vaguely being plucked away from my fellow litter-mates that fateful day. There comes a time in every pup’s life when they are taken away to a new home and to a new adventure. Little did I know that the world I was about to enter would be one of chaos and noise. Sure I adore my owners and would lay down my life to protect them, despite my small size. However, in a home of seven children and two parents there is bound to be some conflict.

My first car ride was both exhilarating and terrifying. It was quite difficult to keep track of all the trees swooshing by and lick the faces of four children at the same time. The youngest of them shrieked with joy every time my little tongue swept her cheek. This alone caused me to get a bit excited myself. Thankfully my masters forgave me for the tiny puddle of urine I had left on the seat.

Upon arriving to my new home I was rather taken back. There was something here I had never encountered before, stairs. This mountainous thing stood in my way whenever my many masters would venture away from me. Since I was much too small to climb them myself I would explore the rooms I could. My favorite spot soon became the kitchen. There was a large window that reached from floor to ceiling that I could see the yard from and every so often a master would come along and open it for me!

However, not everyone slept in one place as my siblings and I had. I soon learned that the parents and all of the children slept on the second level far from where I could reach them due to the dreaded staircase. At least that is what I had originally thought. You see there was one who never went up and yet it took some time for me to learn where it was she went to slumber.

It happened a few days after I had made myself at home. The sun was just lighting up the sky in bright bursts of pink and purple. One of the daughters had kindly let me outside to relieve myself when I heard the most curious sound. Something was pounding along the ground, something big. Then I saw it galloping towards me on four legs. The giant crash landed nearly on top of me whipping strings of excited drool all over the place I had just marked.

Just as the beast went to stick her nose between my legs she was jerked back and I caught sight of a familiar face. Why it was my missing master! It seems that she was already the master of another dog, an excitable, yellow Labrador. The scent of the canine was familiar. It could usually be caught at the base of a door that was rarely open leading to another dreaded staircase this one leading down. So this was where the girl had been all along. She must sleep underground with the other dog. I was both concerned and relieved to learn this news.

Later that day I had managed to reach the upstairs. It did not matter to me that I had been carried all that mattered was there was new places to see. The first room I entered belonged to the eldest daughter. I suppose I should feel cursed that I was blessed with such a great sense of smell. An assault of flowery scents and the sticky stench of hairspray sent me into a flurry of sneezes. Unfortunately leaving the area did not help much. The smell seemed to follow me wherever I went.

Next I found my favorite room. The boy’s bedroom was by far the warmest room in the house. I soon learned that if I stood on my hind legs they would gleefully lift me onto their soft beds, it was as if I were sleeping amongst the litter again.

Not everything in this home was to be loved though. Once the father came home from his daily adventure things turned loud. The mother and father would bark at each other insatiably. From all this noise the youngest would start to wail and even my kisses could not calm her cries. I once tried to retreat upstairs to find that many of the other children were quarreling over toys. Now I understood why the other dog stayed in the basement, much quieter.

Eventually I found that despite the noise I could sleep comfortably under one of the children’s beds. Within a few days I had come to see that this was a large, loud and busy home. Everyone seemed to stay in their place and the only times they really enjoyed each other’s company was when there was yelling involved.

Perhaps it is just my nature but despite all the chaos and noise I loved my new home and my new family. As I had said before I would gladly lay my life down for them despite my small size. There are many of them and they occasionally make me wonder but I would not trade them. This is my home. I am no longer a stranger though it still remains to be strange.