Michael sat at his mother’s house, where he had temporarily taken up residence, and thought that he now had the dog on his cheek. That would teach the woman a lesson. Nothing, nothing, she had thrown him out on the street. Yet their relationship had been so good. Only she had always had something to complain about. But she would see, she would only get Rover the silver-grey Weimaraner back if she apologized to him and agreed to live with him again. Another hour and she would come home from work and find that he was gone.

It seemed strange to Martha that her dog didn’t greet her beaming with joy when she entered the house. She looked around and didn’t find him anywhere. Instead, there was a note on the table in the dining room. „You’ll get your dog back when you realize that we belong together and I can move in again. If not, you’ll never see the dog again. Don’t forget, legally he’s mine. You have until today at 7 p.m. Greetings, Michael.” Martha collapsed. Yes, it was true, legally Michael was the owner of the male dog. At that time, when she imagined that she absolutely had to own a proud male, of course from the breeder, he had signed the purchase contract. Back then, Martha hadn’t thought about it, because after all, they were a couple. She never dreamed that it could be a problem. But no matter how much Michael had promised that he would take care of the dog, he had quickly forgotten all these assurances. It was Martha who took the dog to the dog school, went for a walk every day and drove to the vet when necessary. Over the years, she grew so fond of the balanced, quiet four-legged friend that she could no longer imagine life without him. But the better one without Michael. Not only did she realize how unreliable he was, but also that he understood her more and more as a free cleaning lady, of course with a certain added value. He preferred to spend his free time with his friends. He had actually only come home to shower and sleep. And of course, for that certain added value. At some point, Martha got fed up with him and threw him out. She never thought it possible that he would use Rover for his machinations. But what should she do now? Letting Michael back into her life wasn’t an option, but she didn’t want to be without Rover. Just thinking about how the clingy dog would fare if he stayed with Michael brought tears to her eyes. But she couldn’t expect any help from the judiciary either, since the dog was his by rights. Besides, that would take far too long. By then, the dog would be completely traumatized. So, what was she to do if she wanted to save Rover and herself? So, she called Michael and asked him to come to her with Rover. Curiously, he accepted her invitation, but he came without a Rover. Martha had anticipated this and asked a good friend who Rover knew well to fetch the dog and bring her to her, for the time being. Martha reiterated to the man she once loved how she felt and that it was a chance for both of them to start a new relationship in which they could be happy, because she was convinced that he would do it right away would be forgotten if another woman made advances to him. But he was unapologetic. After an hour he left, knowing he still had the dog as a bargaining chip. As soon as he left, Martha jumped in the car, picked Rover up from her friend’s house, and took him far away to another place where she could start all over again without fear for Rover. She was grateful that she worked freelance and wasn’t tied to one place. The house sale would go through without her, but what if she hadn’t had that opportunity. She should have stood by while Michael was allowed to take her faithful friend, not because he was interested in him, but just to punish her. Nothing is more sordid than using another living being to hurt others. Martha wanted nothing more to do with such a person. She never saw Michael again, but Rover stayed with her for the rest of his life, happy and content and undisturbed. But ultimately, and legally, she had stolen this, her dog.