Palma

A man had a dog He loved so much. 🐶

One day, he got a call to travel down from his country to another country to manage a project which would be the biggest project of his career at that time.

Given how long he will be staying for the task, he decided to take his dog along with him. 

When he got to the airport with his dog, he was asked to present a document that shows that the dog was fit healthwise to fly with him. He quickly left to see a Veterinary Doctor who performed a quick assessment of the dog and told him that the dog wasn't fully well and will need about three days with proper medication to get well. 

He persuaded the doctor to please pass his dog fully fit as his flight was taking off in 20 mins. 

The doctor didn't bulge one bit. 

So this man had the option of either missing his flight to take care of his dog or let the dog go and fly out for a lifetime project to return only God knows when. 

He chose to let the dog go albeit with tears in his eyes at the airport. 

As he boarded the plane, the dog kept barking, in fact when the plane took off the dog ran after the plane and was barking trying to get the attention of its beloved owner. 

The dog found a way to stay in a hidden place at the airport. Every time the dog saw that a plane was about to land, the dog would run to the landing point to see if its owner had returned to bond with it.

There was a boy whose father was a pilot who liked dogs and fell in love with the dog and started to take care of the dog. 

But even at that, everytime, the dog saw a plane about to land, it would leave the boy and run to the landing point to see if its lover had arrived. 

For 9 months, the dog never stopped running at the sound of a landing plane. 

The boy tried to take the dog home but it left again for the airport.  Eventually a home had to be built for the dog at the airport facing the landing point.

After a while, there was a call for the owner of the dog in the media which went viral and an endorsement promise attached to the owner's return. 

Soon the owner of the dog called in and gave the date of his return. 

At the airport that day were photographers, cameramen and men of the press to capture the moment. 

The boy held the dog with a rope next to his father who was a pilot. 

When the plane from this man's location landed, the dog was scanning through the faces as the people descended from the plane. 

After about a few persons descended from the plane, this Man appeared to whom the dog looked keenly and knew.  

The man came to the dog at the feet of the boy. It was clear to all that the Man was the owner as the dog responded to his instructions and every of his calls.

The man was interviewed by the press and had his picture taken.

The same plane that brought him was leaving immediately back to his location. 

Apparently, he had to move on. 

There was the call for travelers to begin to board the plane. 

The man pulled the dog before everyone as he was about to board the plane, only for him to notice that the dog was resisting his pull. 

The dog was staring at the boy who had taken care of its needs and could not imagine leaving. 

He tried to pull the dog with extra force but the dog kept barking and didn't want to leave. 

The dog was forced into the plane, sat next to the Man but was staring at the boy who was crying through the glass. 

It was at this point, the Man realized that 'Loyalty had shifted and allegiance had changed'. 

He untied the dog and spoke to the dog to leave, the dog hesitated at first to be sure the Man said leave, the Man said it again and this time, the dog ran out of the plane to the boy.

Dogs are known to be loyal but not when abandoned for long. 

Don't always assume your space and place in an organization, system and team is secured because you are highly skillful and then you stay away for so long without any communication of state and no contribution from afar. 

Or you abandoned someone that likes you believing that because the person likes you so much it doesn't matter when you return to him/her, you can still have the person. 

You will have by yourself signed up for pain. 

When people perceive you have formed the habit of dishonoring them, whilst getting the honor from someone else, they will like you anyway but will switch loyalty. 

Whether it’s in an organization, business or relationship, you can apply these: 

- Contribute your ideas, skill, time, energy and money, don’t only be about receiving.

- Communicate often your progress, pains, worries and state, also listen.  

- Show honour, regard, respect and care. 

Loyalty can shift and rightfully so.

Oluwapelumi Awe