The Sparrow and the Dog
It has always been true that the relationship between a dog and bird is predator and prey. But Lucky was a nice dog. Lucky is a midnight black lab, with brown eyes. She had a beautiful dog house with carpet, and her food bowl was always full. Her owners took really good care of her, she knew she had them rapped around her tail.
Sunnie was a beautiful Sparrow. She was the envy of all of her friends. She was able to coax the boys out of their seed. When she flew, it was a graceful as an angel. She loved to glide over the tops of the trees. Her life would soon change, when she would wake up to find her friends had all flown away.
Sunnie began to stress out. “How could everyone leave me?” She knew that winter would be approaching soon, and she didn’t know the way down south. She decided that she must start trying to find a place to live, and when her friends return in the spring, she would have words with them. She began flying around, scoping out the area. Then she spots a nice looking house. She soars down and lands on the roof of this strange small house. She begins pecking on the wood to make sure its sturdy.
Lucky had been inside the house sleeping, when she was rudely awaken by an annoying tapping sound. She looked out the opening and noticed it was bright outside, so the taping couldn’t be rain. Lucky decided to go investigate.
“Excuse me bird, but why are you tapping my house?”
“Oh” Sunnie said startled, “I need a place to live for the winter and this place is perfect. You will need to move to that big house. I am going to live here.”
“I am sorry bird, but you cannot live here, this is my house. My person built it for me.”
“Well what am I to do now dog?”
“I don’t know, but my name isn’t dog. It’s Lucky!”
“My name is Sunnie.”
Lucky and Sunnie began telling each other stories of their lives. Sunnie told Lucky all about how she loved to sing and fly. She told Lucky what it was like to fly, since Lucky had never flown before. Lucky told Sunnie all about her people, and how they cared for her. Lucky shared some of her food with Sunnie, after a brief argument over whether it was tasty or not. After tasting the warm crunchy food, Sunnie had to agree that is was in fact good. It tasted of beef and grains.
The two became fast friends; Lucky decided that her house would be big enough for the two of them. She hated to think of her new friend out in the cold, hungry and alone. So she invited Sunnie to live with her. Sunnie accepted without hesitation. Sunnie flew out at once to gather a few twigs and leaves, to make her a bed in the corner where she would be sleeping.
Lucky and Sunnie realized how strange their situation was; Lucky was a “bird” dog, and Sunnie was a bird. But they had begun forming an impenetrable bond. They played together, shared food together (although Lucky did not like the worms), and laughed about silly things.
“Lucky,” called Lucky’s person. ‘Come here girl.”
Lucky’s ears perked. She got up a stretched. “I’ll be right back Sunnie.”
As Lucky trotted away, Sunnie began thinking. How could this friendship work? She was a bird after all. Would Lucky’s people accept her, or would they have to hide their friendship? She had seen many humans together that had different colored skin, different hair styles, and even different languages. She was interrupted from her thoughts, when Lucky returned.
“Lucky?”
“Yes Sunnie? What is wrong?”
“Do you think this friendship will work? I mean do you think that we will be accepted together?”
“Yeah…I mean I can’t tell my humans about you, because they do not understand our language, but why wouldn’t others accept us?”
They continued to get closer as friends. The weather was changing, but so where they. Sunnie no longer slept in her nest, but cuddled up to Lucky. It was a beautiful spring day, and Lucky’s human had been calling her. Lucky was deeply asleep and so was Sunnie. The humans went to look in Lucky’s house and where surprised at what they found.
“Look at this Charles."
“Look at what Brenda?”
“It looks like Lucky has made friends with a Sparrow. Is that possible?”
“Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle,” exclaimed Charles. “There is a nest at the back of Lucky’s house!”
Lucky was awoken by her human’s conversation. She nudged Sunnie with her nose, to wake her up. Sunnie awoke at looked at the opening. She was frightened at first, but soon found that it looked like the humans approved.
“Lucky, is this bird your friend,” asked Brenda in a sweet gentle voice.
Lucky began wagging hair tail, and licked Sunnie. Sunnie preened her feathers in response. Lucky’s humans seemed to accept Sunnie. They began buying her gifts like bird seed, some very tasty treats, and even a water dish; she bathed in the dish as much as she drank out of it. She truly loved Lucky and her humans. This experience had altered Sunnie’s thoughts. She now longer thought of herself as the best, but as an equal.
Spring was in full bloom now. There were beautiful flowers blooming all over now, and the trees had begun growing new leaves. New life was everywhere. Sunnie awoke one day to find her old friends where returning. She went to greet them. They told her they were sorry for leaving her, and she accepted their apology. They wanted to know how she survived the winter, and so she told them all about Lucky, and how Lucky had saved her in more than one way. Her friends began laughing at her, telling her that she couldn’t be friends with a dog.
“It just isn’t right”, they would say. "You need to return home and forget about Lucky."
Now Sunnie was torn. She had just known that her friends would be as accepting of Lucky, as the humans were of Sunnie. Sunnie flew straight to Lucky and told her what had just happened. She watched as Lucky’s eyes became sad.
“You’re going back aren’t you Sunnie? You’re leaving.”
“I don’t know what I am going to do Lucky. I am confused.”
“If you ask me,” said Lucky. “A true friend accepts you for who you are, not what you look like. A true friend will also accept those whom you’re associated with. They would not make you feel ashamed for a decision.”
It was at that very moment that Sunnie made up her mind. Her friends had left her, and Lucky had always been there. Lucky was the one who saved Sunnie, so Lucky had shown that she was a true friend. She flew and told her friends’ good bye. And that was it, Lucky and Sunnie lived the rest of their days living in the dog house together. When the time came and Sunnie past away, Lucky’s people buried Sunnie in a beautiful spot under the shade tree. Lucky would miss her Sunnie, but would always remember how a dog and a sparrow became the best of friends.