Liza passed through the station every day on her way to work. The usual route, familiar faces, the hustle of early morning. But Liza had long stopped paying attention to the bustle. Her gaze always lingered on the same bench.
He sat there.
A homeless dog, who for some reason had chosen that particular spot. A medium-sized dog with sad eyes and shaggy fur. He didn’t beg for food, didn’t chase after people, and didn’t bark. He just sat there.
Liza first noticed him a month ago. At that time, she thought: “Probably someone just left him there for a while.” But the dog didn’t leave.
With each morning, Liza became more convinced that this dog was homeless.
“How did you end up here?” she whispered softly each time she passed by.
But of course, there was no answer.
The dog didn’t even look at her. He just lay by the bench and stared at one point. It seemed like he was waiting for someone.
One morning, Liza noticed something was wrong.
The dog struggled to get up. He limped heavily on his front paw and swayed from side to side.
“Oh, poor thing…” Liza whispered and paused for a second.
She looked at him more closely. His fur was dirty and matted. His eyes were dim, with no fear or hope. Only tiredness.
“This can’t go on…” Liza muttered, feeling her heart squeeze.
But people passed by as if they noticed nothing.
Liza stood there for another minute, then moved on, rushing to work.
But thoughts of the dog haunted her all day. The image of his limping silhouette kept coming back to her.
“Why does nobody help him? And what if he’s just waiting for someone to reach out?”
In the evening, when the workday was over, Liza knew exactly what to do.
She stopped by a pet store on her way home. She bought a simple leash and a water bowl. She took a small bag of food.
“I have to try,” she told herself as she got into the car.
Returning to the station, Liza headed straight for that same bench.
The dog was there.
He lay curled up, resting his head on his paws. When Liza approached, he slightly lifted his head and looked at her.
“Come with me, buddy,” Liza said gently and sat down next to him.
The dog watched her warily but didn’t move.
“Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you.”
Liza pulled out a piece of bread and offered it to the dog.
The dog slowly got up and took a few steps towards her. His paw still hurt, and each step was difficult for him.
“That’s right… Good boy,” Liza smiled. “Now you’re not alone.”
She put the leash on him. The dog didn’t resist. He stood by her and looked at her with his sad eyes.
Liza ran her hand over his head.
“Let’s go, friend. I’ll take you home.”
The dog silently walked with her to the car.
Liza carefully opened the apartment door, trying not to make noise.
“Well, now you’re my guest,” she said, looking at the dog who stood at the threshold, hesitantly shifting from paw to paw.
The dog warily looked around. He stepped over the threshold so slowly, as if he couldn’t believe he was really being invited inside.
“Don’t be afraid, it’s warm and cozy here,” Liza said softly and petted him behind the ear.
But the dog still stood in place.
“You probably haven’t seen normal food for a long time, right?” Liza went to the kitchen, took out a bowl, and put it on the floor.
She poured some water into the bowl and added a bit of porridge with meat.
“Here, try this.”
The dog didn’t move. He looked at the food, then at Liza, as if he didn’t know if he could trust her.
“Go on, eat,” Liza said and squatted next to him. “No one here will hurt you.”
After these words, the dog finally took a step towards the bowl. He cautiously sniffed, licked the water, and started eating in small bites.
“There you go,” Liza smiled. “Now everything will be fine.”
She watched him with quiet joy. Another living being had finally appeared in her home.
When the dog finished eating, he moved away from the bowl and froze in the doorway, as if waiting for further instructions.
“Let’s go, I’ll show you the apartment,” Liza said and stood up.
The dog followed her closely. He peeked into each room, carefully sniffed the furniture and carpets, but never barked.
In the bedroom, he stopped by the bed and looked at Liza.
“Do you want to sleep here?” she asked with a smile. “Well, come on.”
She laid an old blanket next to the bed, but the dog curled up right on the floor, not moving from the spot.
At night, Liza heard him quietly sighing in his sleep.
“Poor thing… How much have you endured?” she whispered into the darkness.
The dog twitched in his sleep and pressed his ears. Liza reached out and petted him.
“There, there. You’re safe.”
The next morning, Liza took the dog to the veterinarian.
“Is it something serious?” she asked anxiously as the doctor examined his paws and checked his ears.
“No, don’t worry. It’s an old strain, but nothing critical,” the doctor said. “The dog is still young, he’ll recover quickly.”
Liza breathed a sigh of relief.
“Does that mean everything will be okay?”
“Of course. Just give him some time and care.”
When they returned home, Liza pondered.
She put the bowl in the kitchen and sat down next to the dog.
“What if I keep you?” she said out loud.
The dog raised his head and looked at her with his wise eyes.
Liza smiled.
“You know, Buddy, you’re mine now,” Liza said. “Do you like that name?”
The dog slightly raised his head, then wagged his tail. It looked like he really agreed with the new name.
“There, we’ve agreed,” Liza smiled and sat down next to him to pet him behind the ear.
The dog looked at her with a loyalty that only appears in those who have been through a lot and finally found their place.
A few days passed. Buddy began to get used to his new life.
At first, he cautiously walked around the apartment, as if afraid to drop something or do something wrong. But then he became bolder. He no longer hid in the corner, but calmly entered the room, lay down at Liza’s feet, and even climbed onto the balcony to look at the street.
“You settled in quickly,” Liza smiled when she saw how confidently the dog walked around the apartment.
Every morning started with a walk. The dog joyfully ran down the sidewalk, and Liza pulled him by the leash, laughing:
“Well, wait at least a little!”
But the most favorite time was the evening walks in the park. Buddy walked proudly, with his head held high. People turned around to look at him, smiled, and some even came up to greet him.
“He’s a beautiful dog,” passersby often said.
Liza proudly answered:
“Yes, now he’s mine.”
She felt she had made the right choice. The apartment became cozier. And coming home was now especially pleasant—behind the door, a faithful friend always waited for her.
One evening, when they returned from a walk, Liza made herself some tea and settled on the sofa with a book. The dog lay next to her, resting his head on his paws.
“Well, here we are at home,” Liza said, petting him on the head.
The dog sighed and closed his eyes.
The home had truly become his new refuge. It was warm, calm, and safe here.
The evening was quiet. Liza sat in the kitchen with a mug of hot tea, looking out the window. Buddy dozed at her feet, curled up on the rug. He had already become a part of her home. It seemed he himself understood this—felt calm and confident, as if he had always lived here.
Liza quietly smiled, looking at the sleeping dog.
“It’s good that I noticed you then…” she said almost in a whisper.
But a sudden knock on the door made her startle.
“Who could that be?” Liza murmured in surprise, rising from the table.
She approached the door and cracked it open. An elderly woman stood on the threshold. Her face was tired but kind. Tears glistened in her eyes, and she tightly held a handkerchief in her hands.
“Excuse me… Did you find a dog?”
Liza frowned but then smiled, trying to ease the tension.
“Yes. What happened?”
The woman’s hands trembled as she pulled an old photograph from her bag and handed it to Liza.
“This is our Bim,” the woman said quietly. “He got lost many months ago…”
The photograph showed the same dog. Young, cheerful, with shiny fur and kind eyes. The same look that Liza saw every day when she came home and met Bim at the door.
Liza clenched the photograph in her hands.
“He disappeared… and we lost all hope of finding him,” the woman continued. Her voice trembled. “And then they told us he was seen at the station…”
Liza glanced at Bim. The dog raised his head, looked at the guest, and quietly whined.
He slowly approached the woman, as if remembering something. At first, he cautiously sniffed, then nudged her hand with his nose.
“Bim… Is that you?” the woman whispered, kneeling down.
The dog wagged his tail and licked her hand.
The woman burst into tears, burying her face in the dog’s fur.
“I thought… I thought I’d never see you again…”
Liza stood silently. There was a strange feeling in her soul—a mix of joy and sadness.
“He’s found,” the woman repeated, stroking Bim. “Thank you. Thank you for not passing by.”
Liza nodded, but said nothing. It felt like there was a lump in her throat.
Bim turned his head back to Liza and looked at her as if to say, “Thank you.”
Liza sighed and crouched next to him.
“Well, Bim… It seems you’ve finally come home.”
Liza quietly packed the leash, the bowl, and Bim’s old toy—a tattered ball he loved to roll around the floor. It seemed that these simple things now weighed a ton.
“Well, that’s it,” she said aloud, trying to stay calm.
The dog sat next to her and looked at her with his big warm eyes. He didn’t understand what was happening, but he felt something strange. His tail no longer wagged so cheerfully, and his ears pressed against his head.
Liza knelt down and looked into his eyes.
“You’re a good boy, Bim. Now you’re home again.”
There was another quiet knock on the door. Liza opened it and saw the elderly woman, who was still wiping tears with her handkerchief.
“Thank you so much!” the woman said, trying to speak calmly. “You’ve given me back my hope. I didn’t believe I would find him.”
Liza smiled, though her heart clenched with sadness.
“You know…” she said, handing the package to the woman. “He became a real friend to me. A true friend.”
The woman carefully took the package and looked at Bim. The dog approached her and nudged her hand with his nose.
“Bim…” the woman said with a trembling voice. “You’ve returned.”
Bim wagged his tail, but his gaze was still directed at Liza. He approached her and quietly barked, as if saying goodbye.
Liza petted him on the head.
“Goodbye, friend. You’ve found your home.”
She felt a tear roll down her cheek.
The woman noticed this and quietly said:
“You did more than you could. If it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t have survived.”
Liza nodded, unable to find the words.
When the door closed behind them, Liza stood in place. The apartment became too quiet.
She sat on the sofa, crossing her arms over her knees.
“I wonder what he’s doing now?” she whispered to herself.
She remembered their first evening. How Bim looked at her distrustfully before trusting her. How he ate his first food in the warmth.
“Sometimes kindness returns in the most unexpected ways,” Liza said quietly.
She felt a little lighter. She knew she had made the right choice.
The dog had found his home. And she hoped that now everything would be alright for him.