Standing on the wet sidewalk, Chloe looked down at the shivering animal pressing its immense weight so desperately against her shins. Tears pricked her eyes as the realization began to take hold, cutting through her shock. She gently reached down, her fingers brushing past the layers of dried mud to feel the distinct, small notched scar behind the dog’s left ear. It was a mark she had traced a thousand times before he had slipped out of the yard and vanished into the city two years ago. “Max?” she choked out, her voice barely a whisper.
The Great Dane let out a sharp, crying whine at the sound of his name, burying his massive muzzle directly into the crook of her elbow. The frantic shaking in his towering body didn’t stop, but the raw desperation in his eyes softened into pure relief. Chloe managed to guide the filthy, exhausted giant into the back seat of her car. He immediately pressed his nose against the glass, refusing to take his eyes off her as she locked the doors and finally turned toward home.