"Stray dogs" in school

When I was in college, there was a stray dog on campus. It looked like a pug, but its fur wasn't long. I don't know exactly what breed it was. However, it didn't have an owner. Its life was sometimes difficult, and other times carefree. You could even find a kind of wild beauty in it.

There were many dogs in the school, most of them smaller than it, so it could be considered a handsome man among dogs. It was hard for an unattended dog to survive because there were no wild animals in such an environment as the school, and a slight misstep could lead to disaster.

It seemed to be doing well with the lady dogs. Many pretty female dogs in the school had relationships with it. Although some parts of its fur had fallen out for unknown reasons, revealing bare skin with obvious abscesses, the dogs didn't seem to pay much attention to each other's appearances. Even such a mangy dog could have several beautiful female friends, which gave people the feeling of a beggar dating a white-collar woman. This was absurd, but reasonable in the world of dogs.

We didn't know this dog's name, as no one had ever called it. It had to make a living by itself. In the morning, it would come out from somewhere, wander on the main road of the school, and pick up leftover food like meat buns or fried dough sticks as breakfast. Although it didn't look good, it was quite satisfied. It ate more than those dogs with owners, so it grew tall and big. After a satisfying breakfast, it was time for activities. If it fancied any female dog, it would just go and flirt, but it must avoid human sight. If within the range of human attack, it would be driven away because it was ugly.

Some owned dogs seemed to be doing well during this time. They were held, hugged, stroked by girls, and fed snacks. The more they were pampered, the worse their development was. They didn't eat everything like the mangy dog, whose diet was balanced and sufficient. When hungry, the mangy dog might even eat feces, as no one cared about it.

If it stayed on campus all day, it wouldn't have lunch. Breakfast could be randomly thrown, and not many people saw it at that time. But at noon, there were too many people around. If it was discovered, it wouldn't be good. Therefore, there wouldn't be any leftover food on campus, forcing the mangy dog to walk to the street to find food. It was a kilometer from the school to the street where there were many restaurants and food. Although eating them carried the risk of being beaten or even losing its life, it still had to eat. If it didn't eat, it would be absolutely dangerous. After solving the lunch problem, it should return. If it was summer, strolling under the sun wasn't a good idea.

We were all curious why no one had found this dog's residence for such a long time. People knew it was in the school, but no one knew where it had placed its nest. Of course, since it was ugly, no one would track it intending to capture it. Not knowing was normal.

Three years passed quickly. By the time I graduated, the mangy dog's life remained unchanged: picking up breakfast, wandering, going to the street for lunch, returning to the school to avoid the sun or severe cold, and going out for dinner, very regular. Perhaps it was once raised by a student who didn't take it away or transfer it upon graduation. We didn't know how it spent its winter and summer vacations, but we understood that this mangy dog had enough survival skills to live in such an environment, and it had enough courage to continue living.