"I'll be back as soon as I can."

"We'll be waiting."

I sit by the door as my owners kiss for the millionth time. The woman is holding the child in her arms. It's so quiet that it must be sleeping. For once. The man kisses the child too. 

"Love ya', sweet girl." He kneels down to me. "And I love you, my good boy." He pets me and I lick his hand. And the next minute he's gone.

Why does he leave so much? And where does he go? I want to go with him! I wouldn't mind being here with the woman but now there's a child in my way! Sitting on her lap where I used to sit! I whine and it only looks at me! Or hits my nose! That's it, I'm out of here. I trot out of the room and find my toys scattered through the house. I'll just play with these until the man comes back. I won't even eat. I'll grow so thin that it'll teach him never to leave us ever again! 

The weather is getting colder again so I take my toy with me to the bed and begin chewing. Right on cue the child cries. I hear footsteps scurrying this way and that. "Hang on, Cara, I'm fixing your bottle."

Thanks to that thing I lose my focus. I'll have to start all over again. Now let's see...first chew, then gnaw, then nibble....then lick!

I smell milk. It doesn't smell like human milk. It smells dusty. I'm curious and I jump off the bed to inspect. The crying stops and I brave the rest of the house. The woman sits on the couch with the child in her arms and the child is feeding. 

A sudden image of Mum flashes in my head. I can smell her milk and I can feel her warmth. I whine. I want Mum. This child has its Mum right here. And I don't. I sit and watch. And remember. 

The woman is singing. I wish she would sing to me. I can sing! But something tells me neither of them want me to. So I don't. 

I watch the child. It's hard to see it all covered in blankets. But I can smell it. It's a girl. She smells just like the woman. I whine a bit and the woman looks at me. 

"You wanna see the puppy?" I can see the child a bit better now. Her face is covered in milk. I stand on my hind legs hoping to lick it off. "You don't want formula, Charlie." She keeps feeding the child. 

This child is only a baby. That's why she can't move around or speak. And why she only cries. 

I understand a bit better. But even so, the crying breaks my concentration. I haven't slept a wink since she got here. But I look at the woman and I can see the love in her eyes. And I see it in the man's eyes too. They both love this baby.

Maybe in time, I'll love her too.

But for now, I'm going to play with my toys.