Emma visited her grandparents in the countryside. In the yard lived Ares, a big black and white dog with pointy ears. He was always chained up. "Stay away from that wild dog," Grandma warned. But Emma loved animals. She sat near Ares and talked softly to him. His tail wagged. "Hello, Ares," she whispered. The dog seemed to smile. Each day, Emma brought him water and sat beside him. Ares would rest his head and listen to her stories. "You're a good boy," Emma said gently.

Meeting Ares

Emma visited every summer. She and Ares became friends. Grandpa would shout, "Emma, get back!" Grandma worried too. "He's too strong and wild," they said. But when Emma was near, Ares stayed calm. She petted his soft fur through the fence. "I understand you," Emma told him. Ares wagged his tail happily. The grandparents didn't see how gentle he was with Emma. They only saw a big, energetic dog. Emma wished Ares could run free and play like other dogs she knew.

Growing Friendship

One sunny day, Grandpa said, "Let's give Ares some freedom." They unchained him. Ares ran and jumped with pure joy! Emma laughed and reached out to pet him. But Ares was too excited. He spun around quickly and his teeth caught Emma's hand. Emma cried out. Everyone rushed over. "Oh no!" Grandma gasped. They hurried Emma to the hospital. Emma looked back at Ares, who sat confused and scared. She didn't get to say goodbye to her friend. The ride felt very long and sad.

The Accident

At the hospital, doctors helped Emma's hand heal. When she returned to her grandparents' house, Ares was gone. "Where is he?" Emma asked sadly. Grandpa looked down. "We had to send him away," he said quietly. Emma felt terrible. "It wasn't his fault," she said. "He was just too excited. You let him loose when he couldn't be calm yet." Emma learned that loving animals means understanding them better. She never forgot Ares and always wondered where he went. She hoped he found a happy home.

A Sad Lesson

young girl with kind eyes who loves animals

Emma

Grandma

Grandpa

Ares is a dog that lives in the countryside. He is always chained and never let loose. He is full of energy which sometimes could be too much for his carers, an old couple. Their grand daughter on the other hand has always been loving of animals and living creature, so naturally when she visits her grandparents, she spends time with the wild dog Ares too. Often times the grandparents will shout at her or him and separate them out of fear to protect the little girl. What they didn't know is that her love and compassion for dogs was settling and comforting for the dog. They got along well. But the little girl was naive and didn't understand the complexity of behaviour and body language. One day, they let the dog loose to run free. He was so happy that couldn't control his excitement and the little girl tried to pet him. In this moment, the Ares turned around and bit her. Everyone got really concerned and worried. They took the girl to the hospital without having the chance to say goodbye to her good friend Ares. When she came back to the house, Ares was gone and the fear of the consequences stayed with her for many years. She never knew where he had gone but for the rest of her life she felt guit and regret because they blamed the dog, instead of the grandparents who had let him free knowing that they can't manage him around the little girl.