Before I could stop her, Stacey had reached behind my neck and clipped the leash to my collar.

“How about we go somewhere?” she suggested, getting to her feet. “I want to show you off to the neighborhood.”

She stood up, relaxing the lead a little.

“Come on, pup!” she grinned, clapping her hands together. “Pump those little legs!” Her clapping made the lead jerk slightly against my neck. To prevent her accidentally hanging me, I began to scurry after her giant sneakers, which launched into the air and clomped onto the floor at tenfold my physical capacity. Each step made the ground tremble under my tiny paws. I tried to keep some distance between myself and her, worried that either of those huge Nikes might accidentally trample my teeny toes. She frequently looked down at me, though, and seemed to have a good indication where I was from the give of the lead.

We came before her front door, the size of a building in itself. She opened it, sending a big cold gust of air sweeping against my fur. She stepped out and turned to look over her shoulder to see why I was hesitating. The world outside looked so big and intimidating. Everything expanded out, tenfold the size I was used to.

When I was very little I used to lie on my back and stare up at the sky, thinking it was so big and vast that it terrified me. Now that feeling of nausea swirled in the pit of my stomach again. It wasn’t just the sky that was miles above and around me in every direction – everything seemed miles long and miles away.

“Come on,” said Stacy, giving the lead a small tug. She bent over me, with her hands on her knees, smiling with exasperated amusement. “You’re so shy! Don’t worry I’ll protect you.”

A shiver rippled through my body. Then I followed her gingerly out into the cold air, and she shut the door behind me. I reacted with a flinch, not from fear, but the realization I couldn’t get back inside the house without her letting me in. It hit me like a blow; I was too small to operate doors.

I moved after over the front porch, feeling the gravel under my paw pads. Each one of Stacy’s catapulting footsteps totally dwarfed my own little mincing steps.

The two huge columns of her porch portico framed me on either side. She went nimbly down her porch steps, the lead stretched out straight as I stood in place on the top step, looking down with apprehension. Each of these dressed stone slabs came up to my middle. I couldn’t step down them so much as climb or jump down.

Stacy was at the bottom of the steps now. She turned around and jingled the lead to encourage me on. I had been relatively fit before, but at my current size, I felt like a weakling, having to pause to haul myself down each step. At the bottom, Stacy merely smiled down at me as if this was some kind of achievement, and then pivoting around, started into a steady stride down to the pavement past her house.

Attempting to follow her, I looked around the street and a gasp left my throat. The end of the street seemed to recede a million miles away. But Stacy’s sneakers were already scraping along the concrete assuredly steps ahead of me, my lead was being pulled up and away. Without any other choice I dashed after her, maintaining a safe distance a few metres (on my scale) from her feet. I walked behind her, rather than in front of her, like an actual dog. The sense of her giant feet in motion directly behind me – without me being able to see them – unnerved me too much. I needed to keep her feet in sight at all times.

We were moving too fast for me to devote much thought to the wider situation I was in. I just focused on keeping up with Stacy; shadowing her feet like an insect hovering around a lamp. Not that I had any choice, being practically tied to her by a rope.

The scenery rolled by. Mundane things stood out as being monstrous and peculiar. The overgrown grass of one lot was higher than my head. I shuddered at the thought of getting lost in it. A bee bigger than my nose droned past my ear. The pickets of a fence ran like Roman columns, way up over my head. Between them, I spied a garden hose sprawled on the lawn, thicker than my arm.

Being outside was terrifying, and yet weirdly exhilarating. I was tiny and vulnerable, but on the other hand, totally anonymous. I could behave however I wanted and no one would look twice. I could run around and roll on the ground. No one would recognize me. I was a total free spirit – except, of course, for the leash binding me to Stacy.

A cat twice my size was perched high above on a mail box. Its eyes followed me unblinkingly. I averted eye contact and kept looking straight ahead.

Outside the next house, kids were playing in the front yard, a boy and a girl. I watched their stamping feet with unease as they ran around. Turning to see me, they ran over, wanting to take a look at me.

“Puppy!” they yelled.

I pressed myself against Stacy’s ankles as their giant shoes came flying at me. Stacy’s warm hands curled protectively around me as she lifted me up. But instead of shielding me away from the children, she exposed me to them, offering me for petting. The kids hands eagerly spread over my body and face, cupped palms like opened umbrellas stroked all over my fur. Untrimmed nails raked through my fur roughly,

My short whiskers were pulled playfully, my spine pulled taut as my tail was tugged. Sweaty fingers tickled and poked my belly, and pinched my paws, and tweaked my ears. The girl ran her thumb back and forth over the bridge of my nose, while the boy scratched my chest.

I didn’t say anything, trying to just endure the treatment. I felt totally betrayed by Stacy, a specimen volunteered for a meat market, my body was squeezed and examined by their eager fingers like a fruit being assessed for ripeness.

“Be gentle,” was all she could say. “He’s very shy.”

It seemed to take forever, but finally, the invasive examination was over.

“Bye doggy!” the girl said, blowing me a kiss before the kids ran back onto their front lawn to recommence their game.

My trembling legs were put back down onto the cement, and my giant owner started off again down the path, and I, struggling to keep up, coming after her.

By the time we reached the end of the street, I was panting and wheezing and clutching my sides. Being pulled around on a leash was degrading enough, but my tiny legs just couldn’t keep up with Stacy’s tall, lithe, athletic ones.  

Luckily, Stacy stopped to observe me for a moment. Noticing my huffing, she crouched down, giving my head a gentle squeeze between her fingertips.

“You look tuckered out,” she said. “Have I been going too fast?”

She slowed her pace, monitoring me with more frequent downward glances.

Another problem: my bladder was pressing uncomfortably as I moved. I needed to pour out the dog bowl. Drain the fire hydrant. Water the garden. If I’d felt the need at home (oh, Jesus, was I referring to Stacy’s place as ‘home’ now?) I would have attended to it then, but the need had just sprung up on me now. When I got anxious, it was like my metabolism moved in fast forward. And being out in this wide open space made me anxious.

I looked around for a suitable place. My collar strained as Stacy continued to urge me forward. Jogging up to her ankle and pushed against her leg. She just glanced down at me and smiled.

I frowned – what, was I asking for permission? We were passing an empty lot – the size of a football field to me. The real estate here looked as good as any other place. Might as well just go for it.

I let out a final yip to tell Stacy to stop. She looked back and noticed me on the grass, turned away from her.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Resisting the socially ingrained habit telling me to seek privacy, I began peeing onto the grass.

“Oh, sorry, puppy,” Stacy muttered. “I forgot you stood up for that.”

For one absurd moment I actually had wondered if I should get down and lift a leg. No way! I still had some shred of dignity.

Over my shoulder, Stacy had now turned away, folding her arms and putting her fist to her mouth to stifle giggling.

“Oh, gosh, you hold it like a man and everything…”

Scowling, I finished and stepped back onto the path. Without hesitation, Stacy started into a leisurely stroll intending to carry on. But I was still worn out. My mouth was wide open and my tongue hung out. My chest was going in and out like a machine. The lead was chafing and tugging my neck increasingly often.

Feeling the resistance, Stacy stopped and looked down at me.

“Aww, do you need a rest, little guy?” she sighed. Next second, she had scooped me up into the air. Then she turned around and began to head back home, with me cradled against her chest. She walked briskly, and with every step she took, her bust bounced against my head. The cool air made her nipples stick out in points and a couple of times one of them jabbed me in the temple. Worse, I couldn’t get my tongue back into my mouth any more than I could stop breathing – the dog’s instinct to pant was too overwhelming – and as my head was held against her chest, my tongue inadvertently ended sliding up against one of her breasts. My heart raced and I felt a thrill up my spine as the hardened bud of her nipple ran against the flat of my tongue for a moment.

The most unnerving part was that she didn’t react to this at all. She was holding me in broad daylight and my tongue was on her nipple and she didn’t even blink.

I could scarcely believe the license I had as a dog…it was a vista of possibilities. I continued to pant against her chest, feeling the heavy mound bounce against my tongue.

She shifted me gently in her hands, unable to keep herself from sliding her fingers back and forth over my soft belly, and kneading her thumbs up and down my spine.

By the time we came to her house, my cheeks were burning. Luckily my white fur probably hid this. However, I could not hide the raging hard on between my legs. It was poking into the crevice underneath one of Stacy’s breasts, and being jolted a little every time her bust bounced on top of it.

It felt more pleasant than I was comfortable with, and by the time we came back into her living room, I was almost delirious from the sensation.

She probably had no idea what it was, if she could feel it. Maybe she assumed it was one of my limbs, or the tip of my tail.

“I think that’s enough for today,” she said. “You’re obviously not a racing dog,” her mouth quirked with a smile, “you’re more a lap dog. That’s okay with me!” She gave me a firm squeeze. “I prefer a dog who likes cuddles.”

She crouched, putting me on the ground and unclipped my lead. Then, with the lead in one hand, her eyes stopped on my groin, which was poking up at her.

It seemed silly to try and cover it with my hands – even sillier considering I was a dog. So I didn’t, I avoided her eyes, pretending I was unaware of it.

“Again?” she scoffed. “You’re really excited aren’t you?” She gave me a quick tickle under my chin.

I climbed onto the couch, drawing my legs up to hide myself. It felt lewd to point this thing at her from a dog’s body. Or half dog.

Satisfied to leave me there, she strode off into another room to put the leash away. I desperately needed to jerk off, but couldn’t; I didn’t want her to come back and find me in the act.

My frustrated mind turned to ways for getting myself out of this situation.

I always had Chad to reach out to. But I didn’t want him to see me like this. He would probably be disgusted. He wouldn’t think any girl was worth trading my humanity for.

Surely there was someone else who could help me?

I then thought of my ex-girlfriend, Lilith.

She was a little crazy and I didn’t have any pressing desire to see her again (which was why I’d been scouting the clubs in the first place) but we hadn’t split on totally acrimonious terms. At least she wouldn’t be disgusted to see me like this. She might think it was a little weird – or a lot weird – but she would help me, I was sure of it.

But first I’d need to get a hold of Stacy’s phone. Then I thought of her tears as she’d thought of ‘God’ and my stomach plummeted with guilt. What kind of Grinch rips a person’s cherished Christmas present away from them, so soon after receiving it? Never mind the present was me.

Maybe if Lilith could help me explain the situation to Stacy, she wouldn’t feel so bad. Lilith could probably have a girl to girl talk, appeal to her emotions, better than I could. And if Stacy consented to letting me go, then what? Would the medical clinic reverse the procedure? Was it possible? Only one way to find out.

Even if it was possible, I would have to live with the guilt of taking away Stacy’s joy. She was so excited to have me. I was the unexpected break in her lifelong dog drought.

And if reversing the procedure was not possible…I hated to think.

There were no easy solutions. I buried my face in my hands, feeling the fibrous paw pads against my fur, the slight prickling of my claws against my skin.

Stacy reappeared, with a stylish change of outfit. She wore a cute hooded jacket with fur lined hood, and her dark skinny jeans sleekly accentuated her long toned legs and buxom backside, igniting a spark of longing in the pit of my stomach. Her leather heeled boots, ending near the knee, clopped sharply as she came by the couch to give me a quick pat.

“I’m going out for a few hours, Saint. I’m going to a Christmas lunch with friends and family. I wish I could take you, but the restaurant doesn’t allow dogs. But I think you’ll be fine here on your own. Just don’t get into any trouble, okay? Just have a little sleep and I’ll be back before you know it.”

She bent to plant a kiss on my head, and I got a deep whiff of perfume that she must have only then applied. A thick lock of her hair dropped over her shoulder and draped over my face like a strip of silk. It sent shivers along my nose, which escalated rapidly into a sudden intake of breath and –

“AH-RUFF!”

“Bless you!” Stacy swept her hair back, giggling at my twitching sensitive nose, which was then stroked better by her thumb. Straightening again, she left the room.