You Can Call On Me

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"There is nothing truer in this world than the love of a good dog." -Mira Grant

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"I didn't want a dog, I wanted a friend!"

That was what I said when my parents brought home a German Shepherd pup. They told me that his name is Chase because he will chase away the sadness inside of me.

But I didn't want him. To me, dogs are just added responsibility, and I already have a lot on my plate.

You see, my name is Ryder, and I'm an eight-year-old tech prodigy. I am currently in my last year of high school, and as usual, the kids there don't like me.

They see me as a know-it-all or a teacher's pet. It's not like it's my fault that the teachers like me. So I keep my head down, and just try to do my best to be unnoticed.

But no matter what I do, all eyes were on me.

These people were twice my age, and I was doing a lot better than they are. Naturally, they got jealous and started to pick on me.

At first, I just ignored their taunts, but as time went by, their words started echoing in my head.

Besides, what they're saying is true. I didn't have any friends, and I always had my nose in books. Not to mention that the teachers are favoring me for my skills.

And I was completely alone.

Today was the same. Maybe even worse. I had been working on a prototype of a customizable phone and had brought it to school to study in my free time. My classmates found out about it and destroyed my creation.

"What is this? A pup pad? More like a trash pad," one of the bullies mocked while his friends laughed behind him.

I was hurt. Deeply hurt. My very first invention lay in pieces on my feet, with possibly no way of being salvaged.

So I cried. I cried harder than I've had before and screamed at the bullies. I screamed at them to leave me alone, that I never did anything to deserve this kind of treatment.

But they just laughed harder. I knew they were satisfied because they finally broke through my defenses. One of them pushed me down on the floor, next to the broken pieces.

I went home, crying my heart out. I noticed that my parents aren't home yet, which is good because I don't want them to see me like this.

I ran towards my room and threw my bag on the bed before sitting on the side of the bed and crying.

For all my talents, I felt like a failure.

My mom always told me that being book smart won't get you anywhere. You need to be street smart and people smart too. 

But now, I'm none of them.

I'm just a depressed kid who wanted a friend.

Chase must've heard me crying because he went inside my bedroom through the open door. He came to my side, whimpering and nuzzling me.

"Go away," I told him, trying to wipe away my tears.

But he didn't. He stayed by my side no matter how much I told him to leave. He just kept giving me those eyes, eyes that seemed to convey that he understood me. That he understood what I was going through.

I never did understand human nature, but I think I can try to understand dogs.

I reached out to Chase and scratched him behind his ear, watching as he tilted his head to the side and lolled out his tongue in bliss.

It turns out that the language of dogs is love. Once they are loyal to you, they will do their best to give you happiness out of love. They will stay with you through the darkest times, even when no human would.

Like when my parents died.

It was two years after Chase came into my life. We were moving to Adventure Bay to start a different life, away from the bullies of my past. I had graduated on top of my year, but because of my age, I can't go to college just yet.

My father had the idea that I could start inventing things to give dogs (or pups) a chance to be a human, like driving vehicles and using tools. I adored the idea, and can't wait to start a new life in Adventure Bay.

We were on our way to the town when a drunk teenage driver crashed with our car and sent us tumbling down a slope.

My parents didn't make it.

It turned out that the driver was my old classmate, who got sent to jail after the accident. Of course, my old bullies had to torment me one last time.

I was sent to live in the Lookout as per my parents' wishes, with all of their assets left to me. I was rich and had all the things I could possibly want.

And I was absolutely miserable.

Mayor Goodway offered to adopt me as no underage kid should be left without a guardian. I accepted, but on the condition that she'll only be my guardian on legal matters.

But I wasn't alone. Chase kept me sane through my darkest moments as I grieved. He was sad too, but he made it as his duty to cheer me up whenever I'm feeling down.

"Chase is on your case, Ryder sir," were the first words he spoke when he could finally speak.

With Chase's help, slowly, but surely, I moved on and made my dad's wish come true. I made pup-sized vehicles and pup packs, which Chase absolutely adored. He especially wanted the police-style ones, which sparked an idea in me to create a rescue team of pups.

That was when Marshall came into our lives. The poor dalmatian pup was left dying on the streets, but Chase and I nursed him back to health. He was clumsy as a result, but we loved him nonetheless.

Soon, more and more pups came into my life, and the Paw Patrol was a big hit not only in Adventure Bay, but in other places as well. 

I've come a long way from being a bullied little boy to becoming a recognized prodigy and a talented rescuer, and I couldn't have done it without Chase and the rest of the pups.

I love to dig, I love to bark

Play in the mud, run around the park

Wag my tail, bury a bone

Sleep on your feet when you get home

As he watched his pups practice for the upcoming talent show, he realized something: the best therapist life can offer has fur and four paws.

But if you need help (Emergency!)

You can call on me, yeah

You can call on me

You can call on me

Yes, all he had to do was yelp for help, and they would come to help him without hesitation.

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The title and the song is "You Can Call On Me" from the episode "Pups Save a Talent Show".

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