Stella

Stella is still outside. Diana gives her some food but otherwise doesn’t pay her any attention. On day three of being outside, Stella starts to bark, bay, and dig. Diana brings Stella back inside, and Stella lies at the feet of Diana’s friend. Diana explains to the man that Stella would be great if she had someone home with her all day, but she acts out when Diana leaves or when she hears loud noises. Stella thinks humans are confusing. Stella knows some words, but sometimes a person’s words do not match the smell of their feelings. Diana goes on to explain to her friend that Stella was injured in an airport explosion. Diana believes Stella needs to live in the country with children, and she tells the man that she cannot keep Stella. She tells Stella that she is a good dog, but her voice sounds sad.

That night Stella sleeps on the floor next to Diana’s bed, and the next day they go for a ride in the car. Diana apologizes to Stella for having to return her, but Stella smells the city and believes she is going to be reunited with Connie. She recognizes the canine facility they drive up to, which makes her excited because she thinks it means that Diana will find her own dog, and Stella can go live with Connie again.

Stella smells Jake and Ava in the facility but she only catches the slightest scent of Connie. She wonders why everyone sounds sad. Ava tells Diana that they feared Stella would not make it because of the trauma she suffered. Diana cries as she leaves, and Stella wishes she could help her. She knows, however, that she belongs with Connie and that Diana will find the perfect dog for her. Stella picks up Connie’s scent, but it is old; Connie has not been in the building in quite a while. Stella sees Doc Collins. He smells anxious, which is uncommon for him. Jake takes Stella and cuddles with her, and Stella knows that something is wrong because Jake never does this. Jake tells Stella that they are going to put her out of her misery as an act of kindness. He tells her that she is a good girl, but Stella does not believe this because if she were good, Connie would be here with her. She would have been able to alert Connie to the chemicals she smelled in the airport and would not have been distracted by the air coming in through the doors. Stella knows that humans put dogs out of their misery by putting them into a deep sleep. Stella licks Jake’s hand and hopes he will change his mind. She will not make any more mistakes. She knows she will not see Connie again if they put her out of her misery.

Stella does not believe Doc Collins will let her be put to sleep. He comes in with a woman named Esperanza. She has come to help them select which dogs should be a part of their explosion detection program. Esperanza believes she might be able to help Stella. Jake does not think this is fair to Stella because they have already tried three different homes for Stella and none of them worked. Esperanza was a friend of Connie’s, and she wants to help Stella for Connie’s sake.

Esperanza holds Stella, and Stella likes her calm breathing and heartbeat. Stella and Esperanza go in the woman’s car, and Stella is overwhelmed by the scent of flowers. Stella does not know if she should be happy that she is still alive or sad that they are leaving Connie farther behind. Esperanza says that they are going to say goodbye to Connie. They arrive at a cemetery, and Stella sniffs around. Stella recognizes the smell of dead human bodies because of a time she helped Connie find a man in a ditch. She gets confused because she smells Connie, but it is not all of Connie. Rather, she smells the “shell” of Connie. She finds Connie’s grave and stands on top of it at high alert. Esperanza tells Stella that it is time for her to move on. She wants to tell Esperanza to do something to help find Connie. Stella realizes, however, that Connie is gone because of the mistake Stella made. This makes her believe that she is a bad dog and always will be.