Sit. Stay. Roll over.

-Sit. Stay. Roll over.-

I try to obey these commands every time.

-Sitstayrollover-

-Sit.-

-Stay.-

-Good boy.-

Good boy! Yes!

I must've done it right this time!

It's my girl asking me to do these things, so I always try to please.

I love my girl, and she loves me, so all in all we're pretty happy

Every day goes mostly the same

-Sit.-

So I sit.

She scratches behind my ears

-Stay.-

So I stay.

She pets my back.

-Roll over.-

So I roll over

She rubs my belly

She's happy

So I'm happy

Some days, we go on long walks

Some days, we go to the park

Most days, she wants to play with me in the yard

We run and jump over mud puddles

We cuddle in her tree house

And we could roll in the grass for hours

But we don't, because we want to hurry home for dinner

Sometimes, her friends come to play too

Then, she asks me to stay inside

I'd rather play, but I don't mind waiting if it means my girl is happy

But no matter what, every night we curl up in her bed, and she falls asleep with her arm around me

One day, there's a lot of activity in the house

Boxes and furniture all appear then disappear

The house is empty, now, but my girl is excited so I am too

But one day, my girl climbs into the car

I run to follow, but the big human pulls me back.

He clips a leash around my neck, and I wiggle with excitement.

We're going on a walk!

But he ties the leash to the front porch instead.

-Sit.-

So I sit

-Stay-

So I stay

Even as I watch my family get into the car

Even as they drive away, leaving me behind

Even three hours later, when it begins to get dark

I stay.

But the next morning, I can't take it anymore.

I know I'm supposed to listen, to obey

But I know my girl needs me

So for the first time, I roll over without being asked

I roll right out of my collar

And hop up onto my feet

That was easier than I thought.

Then, I start to trot in the direction I saw my girl go

After all, I'm sure she's expecting me

Maybe this was a game, one I hadn't listened to the rules of closely enough

I wag my tail as I walk, for the first few hours

After that I start to get tired, but I keep on walking

I can smell the trail my girl left, faintly, so I know I can't rest or it'll disappear forever

By the time I finally can't take one more step, it's dark outside

But I find a nice tree

And I sit.

Stay for the night.

And roll over, into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The next morning I resume my walk.

I can tell I'm getting closer, so I quicken my pace.

Finally, I arrive at a big blue house with a fence around the front.

It seems to me like my girl must be inside.

I run up the front porch, up to the welcome mat

I sit down.

And I bark like my life depends on it

The door flies open.

"Lightning!" My girl shouts, jumping up and down

She throws her arms around me, and buries her face into my neck

"Promise me you'll always stay with me." She whispers into my fur

And I can't tell her that I'd already promised that in my heart

So I lick the tears off her cheeks instead.

-Sit. Stay. Roll over.-

I obey these commands every time

Except when it takes me away from my girl