{"id":9329,"date":"2026-02-12T17:46:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T17:46:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/floridareview\/?post_type=article&p=9329"},"modified":"2026-02-12T17:46:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T17:46:59","slug":"dog-after-storm","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/floridareview\/article\/dog-after-storm\/","title":{"rendered":"Dog, After Storm"},"content":{"rendered":"

Garrett Ashley<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0know a thing\u00a0about taking\u00a0care of a dog. But where else is\u00a0the dog\u00a0supposed to go?\u00a0Somebody tied\u00a0him\u00a0to a fence.\u00a0He\u2019s\u00a0standing there in the water in\u00a0the ditch. Water comes all the way up to\u00a0his\u00a0nose, which is pointed toward the sky. I\u00a0thought\u00a0he\u00a0was a duck at\u00a0first,\u00a0he\u00a0looked so weird standing there in the water.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I lift\u00a0the dog\u00a0out of the ditch\u00a0and untie him. He\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0growl at me.\u00a0He goes limp in my arms.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I put him on the\u00a0floorboard\u00a0of the passenger side of the car. God knows how long\u00a0he\u2019d\u00a0been standing there in the\u00a0water in the ditch struggling for air.\u00a0God knows why someone would tie a dog up like that\u00a0before a storm.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u25ca <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The dog needs a name, but\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0convinced\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0not going to make it, so I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0bother giving him a name. I\u00a0stay\u00a0away from him.\u00a0I leave him alone in the laundry room through most of\u00a0the night\u00a0because\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0always panting,\u00a0slapping his tail.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There\u2019s no name on the collar. This is understandable\u2014the kind of person who would tie a dog to a fence on the side of the road during a storm wouldn\u2019t be the kind of person to get their dog a tag. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When I go into the laundry room\u00a0to get some pants,\u00a0the\u00a0dog\u00a0gets up. I watch him in my underwear. He limps\u00a0to the other side\u00a0of the laundry room, tail between his legs, and\u00a0throws\u00a0himself down on the cold tiles\u00a0again.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u25ca<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My apartment has suffered minimal damage. But the apartment people called ahead of time to let me know\u00a0they\u2019ll\u00a0be making the rounds, doing\u00a0hurricane\u00a0inspections.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That means the dog will be discovered here, and\u00a0he\u2019ll\u00a0be taken away. This is another reason I\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0name the dog\u2014I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0want to lose him as soon as\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0got\u00a0him.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u25ca<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I call the apartment people\u00a0back\u00a0and tell the\u00a0woman on the phone\u00a0that\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0nothing wrong with the apartment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u00a0have to\u00a0check\u00a0anyway.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0part of the process.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve never been interested before,\u201d\u00a0I say.\u00a0\u201cYou know when I told you the\u00a0neighbors\u00a0downstairs must have had a house fire\u00a0because I could smell smoke in my bedroom,\u00a0but you didn\u2019t even come to check it then? You remember the mold?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re required by law to come and check,\u201d\u00a0she\u00a0says,\u00a0somewhat unkindly.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u25ca<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0tired of them bullshitting me. Sometimes I go into the laundry room and look at the dog.\u00a0He\u2019s lying there with\u00a0a\u00a0blanket over him, and I can see the blanket moving up and down with\u00a0every\u00a0breath.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This morning, he drank a little water,\u00a0but\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0not eating.\u00a0I always heard that a lack of appetite is the worst sign\u00a0in\u00a0an animal.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I\u00a0make\u00a0an appointment with the vet,\u00a0but they are closed due to\u00a0damages\u00a0from the storm. I look around for another vet, and a lot of them have a monthlong waiting list.\u00a0There\u2019s\u00a0no way I can afford an emergency visit.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u25ca<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I put some leftovers on the floor in front of him; some cornbread, a slice of ham that\u2019s maybe slightly bad.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you eat,\u00a0I\u2019ll give you a name,\u201d\u00a0I\u00a0say.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He whacks his tail\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0floor,\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0lift his head.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you don\u2019t eat, I don\u2019t know what I can do for you,\u201d\u00a0I say.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u25ca<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The apartment guy comes. He has red hair and a nervous look on his face. He must see a lot of people who want to kill him.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Today is no different.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0going through the apartment, he shines a flashlight at the ceiling.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThis mold?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWas this here before\u00a0the storm?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI reported it six months ago,\u201d\u00a0I say.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He clears his throat and\u00a0moves quickly\u00a0down the hallway.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He\u00a0goes\u00a0into the bedroom.\u00a0Looks\u00a0at my things.\u00a0Maybe he\u2019ll\u00a0understand what\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0been through in my life.\u00a0Always\u00a0the smell of salt in the air.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0like nothing will ever be the same again.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0the smell of\u00a0a wind\u00a0that will never\u00a0leave\u00a0the trees.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u25ca<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He\u00a0goes into the laundry room, sees\u00a0the dog, turns the flashlight off. The dog\u2019s\u00a0chest beats\u00a0like a chicken\u2019s heart.\u00a0I saw a\u00a0chicken\u2019s\u00a0heart beating when I was a kid;\u00a0it had been removed\u00a0suddenly\u00a0and\u00a0kept beating\u00a0on\u00a0a chopping block.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI found this dog in the ditch.\u00a0He\u00a0was tied to a fence.\u00a0He\u00a0barely had\u00a0his\u00a0nose above\u00a0water. I think\u00a0he\u2019s\u00a0dying,\u201d\u00a0I say.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We look at the\u00a0dog\u00a0a little longer.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0as if the inspector\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0even in the room. Then he\u00a0clears his throat. I\u00a0clear\u00a0my throat. He\u00a0crosses his arms and\u00a0shakes his head,\u00a0lets out\u00a0a small grunt, some\u00a0poor sound we make about death.\u00a0I stick my hands in my pockets,\u00a0and suddenly there is a musty smell in the room, the smell of the ocean, a\u00a0breeze from far away.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Garrett Ashley   I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0know a thing\u00a0about taking\u00a0care of a dog. But where else is\u00a0the dog\u00a0supposed to go?\u00a0Somebody tied\u00a0him\u00a0to a fence.\u00a0He\u2019s\u00a0standing there in the water in\u00a0the ditch. Water comes all the way up to\u00a0his\u00a0nose, which is pointed toward the sky. I\u00a0thought\u00a0he\u00a0was a duck at\u00a0first,\u00a0he\u00a0looked so weird standing there in the water.\u00a0   I lift\u00a0the dog\u00a0out of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":9332,"template":"","categories":[9,48,49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9329","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aquifer","category-fiction","category-literary-features"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDog, After Storm - The Florida Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/floridareview\/article\/dog-after-storm\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dog, After Storm - The Florida Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Garrett Ashley   I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0know a thing\u00a0about taking\u00a0care of a dog. 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