The golden dog sat beside the sofa, staring straight at his owner’s arms.
Normally, that was his place.
Every time his owner sat down, he would immediately run over, rest his head on her lap, nuzzle her hand, and wait to be hugged. To him, those arms were the warmest place in the house — a tiny little “territory” that he believed belonged only to him.
But today, things were different.
His owner was hugging another dog.
A small curly-haired dog was happily sitting in her arms, getting head pats, soft words, and gentle cuddles.
The golden dog froze for a few seconds.
His ears lowered slightly.
His eyes looked both surprised and hurt, as if he could not believe this was happening right in front of him.
He slowly moved closer.
Then gently placed one paw on his owner’s arm.
He did not bark loudly.
He did not get angry.
He did not do anything bad.
He simply looked at his owner with the most dramatic, heartbroken expression, as if asking:
“Why are you hugging that dog? What about me?”
His owner laughed, but the golden dog stayed very serious. He looked at the little dog in her arms, then back at his owner. His tail wagged slowly, as if he was trying very hard to stay calm.
His face was so cute that anyone would have laughed.
He was clearly jealous.
But in the most innocent way.
Not because he hated the other dog.
But because he was afraid he was no longer the favorite.
Afraid that the familiar arms would no longer belong to him.
Afraid that his special place beside his owner had been taken away.
His owner understood. She gently reached out, rubbed his head, and called his name softly. With just one touch, those sad little eyes immediately softened.
The golden dog moved even closer, trying to squeeze his head between his owner’s arms, as if saying:
“You can hug that dog… but you have to hug me too.”
In the end, his owner laughed and pulled both dogs into her arms.
Only then did the golden dog finally relax.
He rested his head against her, his eyes half closed, looking completely satisfied — as if he had just won his whole world back.
Dogs can feel jealousy too.
But their jealousy is pure and adorable. To them, their owner is not just the person who feeds them, walks them, or plays with them every day.
Their owner is their whole world.
So when they see their favorite human hugging another dog, they do not stay upset for long.
They only want to be reminded:
“I still matter, right?”
And sometimes, all it takes is one hug, one gentle pat, and one soft call of their name for a dog’s little heart to feel happy again.
Because what he needs is not to be loved alone.
He only needs to know that even when someone else appears, there will always be a special place for him in his owner’s heart.
