Cory sprinted and jumped up against the fence. He placed his two front paws on the edge of fence in effort to try to get to me.
“Hold on,” I whispered as I positioned my hands on the top of the fence, and my feet in the little openings.  1, 2, 3!  I thought to myself. I launched myself over the 8 foot fence and fell to the ground on the other side. Cory rushed over to me and licked my face with his big, slobbery tongue. I opened my eyes and grabbed his enormous head and scratched the back of his ear where he liked it.  The only time I could ever see my dog was when Mom and Dad weren’t home. They don’t want me seeing him. They get mad, really mad. And I also risk getting hurt. I wish he could come and live with us in the house again, and  every time I jumped the fence my mind would flash back to the time when I let my anger get to me.
It was a few months ago, Cory had run into my room and taken my retainer. He tore it into little bits, it was no longer usable. I got mad - really mad.  I hit Cory as hard as I could and screamed in his face. Cory, in reaction to what I did, got scared and lunged at me. My arm was now caught in his massive jaws. I was rushed to the hospital, and Cory was to be caged in the backyard and not come in contact with people, or be put down. I knew my parents would be furious if they knew I was with Cory. Not necessarily because they were mad at me, but because they didn't want Cory to hurt me.
I sat up against the fence and Cory curled up on my lap. He didn’t nearly fit onto my lap, but he tried to anyways.
“Oh my gosh, you’re not a little dog Cory!” I chuckled as I stroked his golden-brown fur.  Cory lifted up his head to look into my eyes. His normally happy eyes looked sad. He set his head back down in his paws and let out a sigh.
“I always thought that if you forgot all the bad things that I did to you, that you’d forget the good things, too. Did you forget the good things too, Cory? ” I spoke.  He sighed and rested his head on my hand. I knew he understood me, although he was a dog. But I wasn’t sure if that was a yes or a no.
I looked over to see a tennis ball on the ground. I picked it up and threw it to the other side of the cage. Cory got up and ran to retrieve the ball. He ran back and barreled into me, clearly unable to control his power. I fell to the ground in a fit of laughter. Cory whipped his head back, he ran over to me and began viciously sniffing my face and licking my eyes.
“Hey, hey, hey! I’m okay!” I exclaimed, trying to calm him down. He lied down on the ground next to me and licked my ear some more. He whined and cried and howled. I put my hand on the ground and hoisted myself up to a sitting position. Cory’s ears immediately perked up, he jumped up and licked my cheek and curled up on my lap. The whining and crying stopped. At that moment, I knew Cory cared. I knew he hadn’t forgotten the good things. I knew he wasn't a bad dog and that he wouldn't hurt me. I knew he loved me, as much as I loved him.