I’d tell you my name if I had one, but at this point I don’t.

I can say this. I am a beagle. I am black, and brown and white. My tail is white at the tip. My eyes are brown. I have an extremely strong sense of smell.  I’m not fat and I’m not skinny. They give us just the right amount of food to survive.

And right now I am afraid. Because I don’t know what’s going on, and I don’t know what to do about it, but they left the cage door open. Just wide open.

This is something that I can never remember happening, and I’m not certain that it’s not some kind of trick. That door has always been closed and locked up tight, so that no matter how hard I might push my snout on it, or swipe at it with my paw, it would not budge. Not an inch. And don’t think I never tried. I did. Many, many times. Wouldn’t you? I also tried digging holes in the floor of my space, but it was hard and cold, and I got nowhere.

And it’s not just the door to my cage. All of the cages of the ones who came here with me, and there seems to be about ten of us.

Plus, okay, we’re, like, not inside the lab, but outside, in the air. I’m not sure what to make of this whole day, which has been unlike any other. None of us are sure what this all means, so for now I’m going to back myself into a corner, look down, and not make eye contact with anybody. Maybe tuck my tail between my legs too. Yeah. Also, I’m doing my best not to tremble. That’s not working out so good.

But... ...There are all these strange and unfamiliar smells. One over here....and another over there. I wouldn’t even know where to begin to start checking them out. And sounds. Like I’ve never heard before. I don’t know what they are but they seem to be coming from up overhead, from those things that are flying around. And what’s that little furry thing that just darted up a tree? Dude’s making some strange chirping sound I can’t identify.

Okay, so I’m just trying to take all this and and I notice one of the other guys...He’s -- Holy Crap! -- he’s poked his head out the cage door. And all these humans are standing there encouraging him to step on this soft stuff I don’t know what to call...

Also, I smell food! One of these people (these humans aren’t wearing uniforms or masks, or those cold rubber gloves) left something that smells delicious right by the door.

...I’m just gonna take a quick sniff and...real quick snatch it up! and scurry back to my corner...

CRUNCH!!

Crunch-crunch-crunch.

Uh...Ok, don’t know what you’d call that, but it was delicious, and I would like more.

Maybe I’ll just stick my paw out the door, like the others seem to be doing. Just...very tentatively at first, just...

...Tap...tap. Sniff. Sniff. Hmmmmmmmmm. Interesting. Scary.

I can see now that some of the others are really far out of their cages. They’re sniffing each other’s butts and wagging their tails. Huh. I’m just gonna put a paw out for one second and...

Hmmmmmmmm. Soft. Smells kinda good. I’ll take another step. And maybe one more...

...Here’s what looks like a nice lady. I honestly don’t know if it’s okay to go and say hello. But she has those tasty things in her hand, and she’s waving at me to come closer. Do I dare?

First, though, I look up. There’s this big round ball in the sky...

I tip my head toward it. It’s very bright, and I have to squint a little. It’s warm. It feels really good. Maybe I’ll just sit here for a second letting that warmth radiate all over me...

....Or...maybe I’ll tumble onto my back and then roll all over this soft, smelly stuff, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll get that belly rub I’ve been waiting for.

Here comes one of those humans now. I’m not sure if I should bolt, or should I stay...?

Next Chapter: Confessions of a Part-time Vegan - #1