My Encounters with Werewolves

A Dog to Call My Own

Perhaps it was the first time in my life that I encountered such a well-behaved and well-mannered dog, and I found myself unable to forget it even as I ate breakfast at the restaurant.

But dogs, being what they are, can adapt to anyone. They’re not necessarily attached to just one person.

Suddenly, I felt a craving for canine companionship. Maybe I should visit a dog café later today.

“Azi, has anyone claimed the dog yet?” Liu Mei, sitting across from me, nudged my foot under the table.

I was tearing a piece of fried dough and soaking it in soy milk when she asked. “When I left it at the front desk, no one had claimed it,” I replied honestly.

Ouyang Jing said, “It's only been a short while. It takes time for word to spread.”

“That dog really is a bit special. If no one wants it, it wouldn’t be bad to take it home,” Liu Mei said, somewhat tempted. But she quickly sighed, “Too bad my husband is allergic to dog hair.”

So she could only admire dogs from afar, but her comment reminded me that if the dog truly was a stray, why shouldn’t I adopt it? Turning a stray into a pet could be a good thing.

“Azi, do you want to keep it?” Ouyang Jing asked the critical question, and both of them focused their attention on me.

Logic and emotion battled within me as I looked at the piece of dough floating in my bowl through my glasses, my spoon stirring the soy milk absentmindedly.

Emotionally, I wanted to keep it, but rationally, I thought it might be too much trouble. Having a big dog would bring safety and companionship, but it also meant taking on responsibility.

Bathing, deworming, vaccinations, dog food, toys, walking the dog—it could potentially wreck the house or have accidents indoors. And when I went to work, it would be left alone. Would it feel lonely?

I hadn’t even adopted a dog yet, and I was already considering many things.

“Looking at Azi's cold expression, I’d say she doesn’t want to adopt it. I was hoping you’d keep it, so I could visit your dorm to pet it,” Liu Mei said, somewhat regretfully, failing to detect any desire on my poker face.

Indeed, since I joined the company at 22 and now at 28, I have been living in a company-provided apartment without shared spaces, totaling 80 square meters. Living alone, I certainly had enough space for a big dog.

The apartment was in an older complex, two streets away from the company. Though the building was somewhat aged and had no elevator, it was well-equipped and conveniently located, with the company even subsidizing 200 yuan of electricity annually.

I was quite satisfied with my current living conditions.

Imagining adopting the dog, I thought about how it would stand about 190 centimeters tall when on its hind legs. I could rearrange some furniture, and if I needed to buy a large dog crate, it would fit in the guest room.

After much consideration, I cautiously said, “I'm not sure if I want to adopt it. It might have an owner.”

“That’s simple,” Ouyang Jing suggested. “After we have lunch and are about to head back to the city, we can see if anyone has claimed the dog.”

I silently agreed with her suggestion, since I was also thinking about it. Though initially, upon learning it was a stray, I had shown a hint of disdain and fear.

After breakfast, I went to Liu Mei and Ouyang Jing’s room to kill time, chatting or playing cards, or even teaming up for online games.

They also tried to coax me into checking out the card room or the billiard room, suggesting I might find a colleague I fancied.

Instead of finding a potential match, I’d rather check on the dog at the front desk.

Because of my steady hands, Ouyang Jing always asked me to help when painting her nails. As I worked, Liu Mei joined in. “Azi, do mine too, with this gold polish.”

“Sure, first use these cotton pads to clean off the old polish,” I replied, handing her the box. Liu Mei obediently took a cotton pad to wipe her nails clean. Ouyang Jing said that with my steady hands, I could polish my skills in nail art and set up a stall.

I took her words to heart since it's a skill that can earn money. Occasionally, I’d browse for nail art supplies, like glitter and rhinestones.

The three of us passed the time like this until it was time for lunch. Without professional tools, we only applied simple nail polish and topcoat, but Ouyang Jing and Liu Mei were very satisfied.

At lunch, we sat at a round table that accommodated ten people, and we overheard colleagues talking about the dog at the front desk.

Brushing a stray hair behind my ear and tucking it under my glasses' arm, I asked, “Is the dog still at the front desk?”

“Yes, it's still there, lying on the carpet asleep, happier than us workers,” a colleague replied.

Hearing this, I felt a sense of relief wash over me.

“Meimei, Xiaojing, I’m done eating. I’m going to check on the dog,” I said.

“It seems you do want to keep it. Go ahead,” Liu Mei said with a teasing smile, waving me off.

I quickly walked to the lobby front desk, and from a distance, I could see the Czech Wolfdog sprawled out on the carpet, asleep.

Winter sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, gently caressing its fur, which looked soft and beautiful.

Sensing my presence, its tail wagged slightly, and it lifted its head in my direction, its upright ears folding back into what looked like a grin.

At that moment, my heart was struck.

All logic flew out the window; I hoped it was a stray and that I could be its owner from now on.

“Miss Yuan Zi, we haven’t found its owner yet. It might be an abandoned dog, but it doesn’t seem wild,” the front desk manager explained when he saw me approaching, knowing I was inquiring about the dog.

The guess that it was an abandoned dog came from its excellent obedience and quick response to commands, unlike a truly wild dog that would be clueless and fearful of humans.

I walked up to the front desk, and the dog lazily stood up from the carpet. It didn’t approach me but stood by the manager’s leg.

Could it be that the manager had fed it some fancy dog food and now it preferred him over me?

Pushing my glasses back up the bridge of my nose, I remarked blandly, “Such an expensive Czech Wolfdog, and someone actually abandoned it.”

“Who knows what the owner was thinking? Maybe they’re wealthy and don’t care,” the manager replied.

“Since no one’s claiming it, I’ll adopt it.”

“Oh…”

“What’s wrong?”

“I was thinking of taking it home if no one claimed it.”

The manager and I exchanged glances. He sheepishly admitted that his son loved dogs, and it would be great to have such a handsome and well-behaved one.

In this matter, I couldn’t back down easily. “Manager, I want to adopt it, and I was the one who found it first.”

“That’s true, but let’s see who it chooses, shall we?”

Given that the boss also had dogs, the manager seemed accustomed to interacting with them and confidently suggested this approach.

I clicked my tongue internally. Things weren’t looking good for me. The dog didn’t seem too attached to me, and perhaps I had been fooling myself.

The manager and I each took three steps away from the dog to see whom it would follow.

Even though I didn’t hold out much hope, I wanted to try. When I first realized it was a stray, I had shown some hesitation, and the dog seemed to have noticed.

Could it really be that perceptive?

“Lai Fu, come here~ I’ve got a can of food for you~” The manager called out cheerfully before I could react, even giving the dog a name. Impressive, he had already named it within a morning.

It made me, who had spent the night with the dog, look like a fool.

The large gray dog sat on the floor, its face turned toward the manager’s right side. As it began to move in that direction, I raised my voice.

“Come with me. I’ll give you a home.”

I didn’t use the usual coaxing noises or gentle words but spoke with firm determination.

The dog paused, then turned to look at me.

Sensing the situation, the manager felt threatened and quickly resorted to calling with coaxing noises, even brandishing treats.

With renewed hope, I crouched down, extending my arms toward the dog, my gaze as resolute as a bride’s vow at a wedding.

The warm, furry giant trotted into my embrace, its tongue briefly touching the tip of my nose.

From this moment on, I had a dog.