One sunny day, a dog named Jackie went for a walk with his owner, a boy named Lazar, through a city they had just arrived in for the first time. Jackie was happy and excited as they walked through the streets he had never seen before. Everything was interesting, fun, and new to him.
There were many people and dogs on the streets. Jackie found it strange that those dogs were on leashes, while he had always walked freely and never separated from Lazar. It never crossed his mind to stray from his best friend and he always followed him closely.
That day, while they were walking, Lazar wanted to go to a park near the hotel where they were staying, and Jackie followed him as he always did. When they entered the park, they stopped because they didn't know which way to go first. They had never seen such a large park and so many children in one place before.
The cheerful chatter of happy children who played, ran, and had fun in the park could be heard everywhere. The boy and his dog first went for a tour, and when Lazar noticed a trampoline, he immediately went to join the children who were jumping on it.
Jackie, as always, patiently waited for Lazar. He sat next to him and enjoyed watching the happy children. He didn't even notice that two dogs were approaching him until they were very close. He was surprised because they too were walking freely, and they were in a friendly mood, just like him.
They invited him to play, and Jackie happily ran after them. For a moment, he forgot about Lazar and got carried away with the game with his new friends. He enjoyed exploring such a large park.
At one point, he remembered Lazar and immediately decided to head towards the trampoline where the boy was jumping. When he arrived, Lazar was no longer there. He became confused and scared, unaware of how much time had passed since he last saw his best friend.
He began searching and sniffing around, but to no avail. Lazar was nowhere to be found. He decided to look for his new friends, but they couldn't help him since they didn't know Lazar.
He was so sad, scared, and helpless that he went to a tree and lay down because he no longer had the strength to walk.
Lazar didn't feel any better either. He cried as he returned to the hotel to ask his parents for help finding Jacky. He was sad and confused. Jacky had never left his side before, so the boy didn't understand why he didn't wait for him that day. His parents decided to go with him and search for Jacky.
They wandered for hours, asking people if they had seen him, but to no avail.
They decided to search the park one more time. The sun was already setting, and they were increasingly afraid that they wouldn't find their friend. They walked, looked in every bush, and called for him.
Jacky was still asleep. He didn't know if he was dreaming or really hearing the voices of his loved ones. He perked up his ears, listened, and when he realized that it was really them, he jumped up and ran towards them.
It's unclear who was happier when they met. Tears of joy streamed down the boy's face as he hugged and cuddled his dog.
They returned home happy and tired from the adventure that had befallen them. Jacky knew that he would never be separated from Lazar again, but it was only then that he understood why dogs in the city walk on a leash.
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Author: © Nataša Milivojević / All rights reserved.
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