--I don't want to be a guide dog anymore.
A proper guide dog is destined to have no childhood from the moment it is born. There's only selection, and behavioral suppression begins as soon as it is weaned.
Sterilization, forced socialization, and core training that goes against its nature, demands endless repetition, and allows no mistakes, leave many guide dogs suffering not only physical joint wear and muscle injuries, but also psychological depression.
A guide dog's growth means trading its instincts, freedom, happiness, and physical health for the chance to be forced into service as a human safety tool.
So I hate humans. I hate that my whole life is a series of farewells. I hate being tamed my whole life. I hate this shell stripped of its instincts.
--I don't want to be a guide dog anymore.
I met a human named Xiang Qingzhao. Her name means "bright light," but she was blind.
She was so stupid, stupid enough to trust me completely. Wherever I went, she followed, putting herself entirely in my hands.
I led her down plenty of wrong turns, made her fall more times than I could count, let her miss steps on staircases again and again, and even made her walk into telephone poles...
But she seemed completely blind to how awful I was.
After I made her fall, her first reaction was to check whether I was hurt.
She was nearly too poor to afford food, yet she bought me such expensive dog food.
She wouldn't go to the hospital when she had a cold and fever, but when I got sick, she took me to the animal hospital in the middle of the night for emergency care.
I didn't understand her. I couldn't see through her.
Later, I realized she was pitiful, too, just like me.
When passersby stole her wallet, she couldn't tell.
When someone handed her a Coke they'd spat in, she couldn't tell.
When people gave her the wrong directions on purpose, she couldn't tell.
When people deliberately stuck out their feet to trip her, she couldn't tell.
We were society's castoffs, sharing the same misery.
I don't want to be a guide dog anymore. I want to become human and protect you,
to truly become your eyes.
P.S.:
*The blurb is in first person, but the story itself is in third person.
*The male lead is neutered when he is a dog in the early chapters, and remains so after becoming human.
*Not for readers who want a sweet story. This is grounded in reality.
*The female lead will remain blind throughout. She will not regain her sight.
Content warnings:
1. There are both BE and HE endings. Choose for yourself.
2. The male and female leads really suffer. This is not a sweet romance.
Theme: Care for society's vulnerable groups
