MAY. A TRUE STORY

One day twelve years ago, I went to a local garden centre to get some Lobellia plants. They were rather expensive, so I decided to go to Odawara Flower Garden . This place is run by Odawara City and is situated on a hill. I was on my mountain bike and thought it wouldn't be so difficult.
On the way up ,on a quiet steep slope , I met a black dog walking in the same direction. I was riding the bicycle and it was a bit hard for me. The dog was looking at me. I spoke to the dog and asked where it was going. There was nobody there, so I thought it would be okay. I asked its name and commented on the weather. "Nice day,isn't it, doggy?" "It's all right for you. You have 4 legs!"
I reached the top of the hill. The dog followed me. I turned left and started going down hill. The dog was running behind me. I joined a big road and thought I could lose the dog. There were many trucks on the road and I became worried about the dogs' safety, so I stopped and let it catch up.
We entered the flower centre and I went into a few greenhouses to get some
plants. The black dog waited outside the greenhouses for me.I was impressed about the manners of the dog.
I bought the flowers and asked the man who worked there if he knew the dog.
He said he didn't. I went out and started going down the hill back home.
I passed a small house with a chimney . Near there , I met 2 women. They had a dog. They started getting angry at the black dog ,who seemed very friendly and told it to go away.
I asked many people if they knew the dog. I even went into a bank and asked the workers. They said I should take it to Iwahara Police Station.
On the way there we passed Iwahara Elementary School. The dog who had been following me all the time , ran into the school ground and started playing with the children. They seemed to know the dog quite well. The dog finally came back to me and we continued our journey to the Police Station.The policeman on duty said "Thank you! We have been trying to catch this dog for about a month. He said they would send it to the Aigo Center for unwanted pets in Hiratsuka.
When I left the dog started barking and tried to follow me. She wanted to stay with me.
Later that evening, I found out that dogs are only kept for 5 days at the Aigo Center before they are put to sleep. I thought "What have I done? The dog will die because of me" I found out from the police that the dog had been taken to Matsuda Hokenjo. The next day I was on holiday. I went by bicycle to Matsuda . It's about 5 kilos from my house by the Sakawa River cycling road.
I told them I would like to keep the dog as a pet. I was taken to a dark shed. In the shed was the black dog. She recognized me immediately. She welcomed me like no dog has ever done before. We went back together on the cycling road. She ran behind my bicycle all the way looking at me. I did not need to use a rope. I took her home and cleaned her up. She had a good meal and then I went out to the nearby DIY shop and bought some wood. In the afternoon I made a dog house for her.
That evening we got a call from the police. A person wanted to come to look at the dog as it fitted the description of the dog they had lost. A woman came from Tokaidaigakumae and said, "Yes, it's Jennifer! Jennifer! The black dog didn't show any recognition. She said Jennifer belonged to an American teacher at Tokai University. She was sure the dog was Jennifer but the dog did not show any interest in her. Finally, the,woman left without the dog. I was secretly happy about that. I had just spent all day collecting the dog, shopping for wood and had just finished the dog house.
My daughter named the dog "May". May became a good looking dog. She was about 1 year old according to the vet. Her coat became very shiny and many people thought she was a Labrador .She was a quiet ,friendly easy-going dog ,who never made any trouble. Alot of the time I forgot she was there. She loved meat,eggs,fish and eating in general. She was very easy to train and was obedient.
About 3 years ago she became diabetic. She slowly lost her sight and lost weight. I gave her insulin injections every day and it went well for about 3 and a half years.
Recently her health deteriorated. Finally on May the 29th ,she passed away.
Ironically she was cremated today in the small house with the chimney near the flower center.