I wanted to tell you a story about myself. A little puppy dog who wanted a true home so he could grow up at last but they wouldn’t let me grow up. They tried to tease him and push him down so much he couldn’t really grow. He would wine and whimper and scratch and sniff and try so hard to find friends and people who would love him but they rarely did. He didn’t find anyone who loved him enough so he just gave up and thought he’d be a puppy dog forever. But one day a great Dane came along and invited him for tea and the two dogs became best of friends and decided to roam the world together and go for tea together and be friends always but all they seemed to do was to drink tea together and go for long walks so puppy dog didn’t know exactly where he was going. He was getting a lot of love but still he didn’t exactly grow – maybe a little. He noticed his ears getting longer and floppier but still he would whine and whimper a lot and he realised there was something else he needed after all but what was it he wasn’t sure at all. He carried on with the Great Dane since they had a lot of fun together but he wasn’t altogether happy since they had a few difficult times too and little scruffy puppy got pulled about a lot in their play fights and sometimes it didn’t always feel good so he started packing his bags at one point and said he needed to go elsewhere but wasn’t quite sure where. He had changed enough to gather a bit of strength back and a bit of growth had occurred but he wanted to go somewhere else now. And surprisingly Big Dane was happy about this too and told him to go and then he was a bit sad that Big Dane seemed happy with his disappearance so he just left. At least he packed his bags.
But he felt such tears in his eyes for all the good times and closeness and companionship he’d shared with Big Dane. He didn’t know whether to stay or go. He knew he needed to go. He had much to do in the world and there was another dog or being that he needed to be with now. He knew the rest of his growth would not come until he’d left Big Dane and gone to this other but he didn’t know how to reach him or how to leave Big Dane. It was a big task for him. So he asked Big Dane to teach him how to leave, to show more love towards him despite their separation. And Big Dane gave him handfuls of love but was a bit separate all the same. They squabbled a bit since they were both struggling in their separation but puppy dog knew in his heart it was time for him to go, but these partings seemed so hard. He had never had a friend like Big Dane before. He wanted to just go and kiss him all over and have all their bear fights and cuddles but he couldn’t any more because they had to leave each other. And puppy dog hoped he’d meet the new one soon but it was very hard to have to leave big Dane all the same so he marched on one day. He gave Big Dane a huge hug and gave a huge speech and Big Dane helped him pack up his bags and gave him lots of love too. There was indeed a lot of love between them however little puppy dog knew also that it was not enough to sustain him and there was another more special even than big Dane waiting for him somewhere – so he had to just pack his bags again for the 10th time and leave – but it was oh so hard, all this packing and waiting to leave, all this time. He wanted to just go, but he loved Big Dane so much he pleaded him to come with him at one point but Big Dane declared his love for puppy dog but said ‘No, you must go alone and this will set us both free.’ And little puppy dog waved goodbye at last with all his little bags packed and excited by his new adventure but very sad at leaving Big Dane – and he wept tear after tear after tear but in his tears he gained a new spirit, a new release, a new energy and this charged him onwards to his new exciting adventure to full and final adult hood and freedom.