Unrequited Love

This post was inspired by the Friday Fiction prompt: "Friend or foe - write about your character's feelings for animals."

John was completely crazy about dogs. He loved them with a passion. He only noticed pretty women if they were walking good-looking dogs, or even ugly dogs. He only had eyes for the pooches. He always carried some sort of dog treat in his pockets, doggie bones of at least two flavors to be sure to have something for finicky palates. He lived to get tails wagging.

John had a great tragedy in his life. He had a certain quality that made dogs fear him. Some dogs ran away from him, some growled at him, and some even lunged at him. None would let him get close enough to pet them. He’d been to see all sorts of specialists, both veterinarians and human doctors, to understand why dogs didn’t reciprocate his affections. The best hypothesis he’d heard was that he emitted a strong predator pheromone. Unfortunately, the research on pheromones was in its infancy. The doctor’s best suggestion had been to try his luck with cats. They just didn’t understand that dog people are not cat people. It was like suggesting that a macho heterosexual become a homosexual because the ladies didn’t care for him.

John continued to hunger for canine affection. He became an expert on pheromones. He increased his dog bone flavor selection and continued stalking the local dog parks and animal rescue centers. His hope never wavered that he would one day encounter a special dog that would appreciate him.