It was finally Friday afternoon, and Robert was looking forward to spending the next two weeks on vacation. The last 6 months of his life were buried in paper work, power point presentations, and board meetings. With the acquisition of the big new client finally complete, he could take some well deserved time for himself and relax.

While driving home, he was thinking about all the things he would like to do, besides lounging around like a bum, and saw Petsmart off to the side of the road. Smiling to himself he pulled in thinking about picking up a new toy for Katie, his 3 year old German shepherd. As he walked around poking through the different dog toys, his eye caught a glimpse of a shiny red ball and his heart skipped a beat almost as if he was excited. Shaking off the odd sensation, he picked it up and headed for the register.

"Going to play some ball sir?" The clerk smiled and asked as she rung him up.

"Yup, it's been some time since Katie and I went out and played hard, I'm sure she'll love it." He responded, unexpectedly exciting himself with the though of playing ball. The grin on his face just made the clerk smile more, as she handed him his change. "Well you have a great day and I hope you and Katie have fun!"

With a smile spread across his face, he continued his track back home. There wasn't much of an explanation for why he was so happy, but he figured it had to be the vacation itself. He hadn't taken a single day of leave, and lived a pretty monotonous daily routine as the project was in full swing. As he drove, he began to plan out the week, and sighed happily. "This is going to be the most relaxing break ever. No early mornings, no set schedules, and some real time to do nothing!"

As he pulled into his garage Katie's ears twitched and she jumped up as excited as ever to meet her master at the door. She was use to him coming home after sunset, and going for a quick 20 minute run before he crashed on the couch. Hearing the garage open while the sun was still out meant he was home early! As he opened the door, she ran and heeled at his side and smiled up at her master; she was such a good dog and loved her master. After he set his brief case on the counter he walked back over to her, knelt down and gave her a hug smiling.

"You're such a good girl. We're going to have a great couple of weeks, you and I." He said as he pet her behind the ears, "Katie, ready to go for a run?” "WOOF!" She responded as she ran to the door excited to get out and play with her master.

As they ran that evening, both Rob and Katie felt full of an energy that couldn't really be explained. They ran further than they'd ever gone before, and had a blast doing it. As the time passed, Rob finally took a second to realize where they were, and glanced at his watch. To his surprise they had been out running around the neighborhood for 3 hours and he didn't feel tired at all. "Wow, we're having way to much fun eh girl?" He fluffed her head as she barked back in response, smiling with her tongue hanging out panting slightly but still looking like she could go another 3 hours. "Well I guess we should finish up the loop and call it a night." As they headed back, they both were feeling great. For Katie, it was the first time she had been out this long with her master who was actually able to keep up, and with the extraordinary energy flowing through her it made her feel so free. This same freedom is also what made Rob feel so giddy and relaxed, the wind at his face and not a care in the world.

As they made it into the house, they both went straight to the kitchen and consumed a considerable amount of water. "Wow girl, we did so well! We must have run ten miles easy, and I still feel like I could go more." He finished up and sat in front of the couch and Katie walked over and lay down next to him. "You're such a good girl" he smiled and idly pet her as they settled in to watch television for the evening.

Later that night, Katie was sound asleep next to Rob, just as he began to doze off in front of the television, he felt a dull pain rumble through his bowels. Startled by the sudden pain, he got up and limped towards the restroom. As he walked, he felt pretty stiff, but blamed that on the run. As he got into his room, he flipped on the light and caught his reflection in the full-length mirror next to his closet. In shock he slowly walked closer to the mirror to notice that his ears were slightly pointed and standing off the side of his head, when he focused on his reflection, he also noticed his nose had a touch of black on it, and his eyes had a fleck of amber running through them. Shocked at first, he didn't move. He just sat down on the edge of the bathtub and stared at himself. "Some dream, this is crazy." He mumbled to himself as he tried to shake it off and wake up.

While Rob's changes began, Katie was sound asleep and softly moaning as she began to change as well. Her ears started to recede and new blonde hair started sprouting on the top of her head. She smiled in her sleep, as she dreamed of of playing fetch, only this time she was throwing the ball for her good boy.

After a few more minutes of staring at himself, Rob began to feel a burning in his loins which caused him to fall to the floor. He began to idly scratch his chest and stomach, and noticed a soft fuzz. "I have to get these cloths off!" he mumbled to himself. As he began to pull off his shirt, it felt as if his fingers weren't working nearly as well as they should, but after a few minutes he had his shirt and shorts off and took another look at himself. The soft fuzz had a distinct coloration that he recognized. It was similar to that of his.... "Oh no!"

Just as he realized what must be going on, Katie rolled over, stretched, and began to subconsciously think about things she wasn't accustomed to. She began to remember plans she had for the week, and what she might do with her best friends on vacation. While her mental changes continued her canine coat began to shed at what would have been an alarming rate for any normal canine, yet her new soft, human skin began forming where the fur once was.

Rob continued to stare at himself in the mirror. While scratching the soft fur that was to be his undercoat, as it continued to thicken and a new layer of fur started appearing. His distinct German shepherd overcoat began to grow in. Just as he was about to stand back up to take a look at his back he felt a wave of energy flow through him. It wasn't painful, just a notion that he shouldn't try to stand up on his hind legs. He blinked a few times, rose up on his hands and knees, and turned sideways to get a full view of his body. As he sat there, he could only smirk as he watched what looked like a guy dressed up in a German shepherd costume with his boxers on staring back at him. "What a sight," he mumbled, just as he began to relax. Then it hit him, he was beginning to accept these changes. Trying hard to focus, he shook his head and tried to stand up on his feet again. The same wave of energy flowed through him, almost as if someone pet him down his back in a soothing manner. He took a deep breath and exhaled. In doing so his chest pushed out causing him to wheeze. On his next inhale, his stomach pulled closer to his body causing him to gag slightly. On the following breath he felt his heart skip a few beats and began to pump faster. After a few more breaths, he fell to his side and wheezed a bit more trying to get use to the changes that were occurring. For what he could tell, his internal organs were changing to fit what he was becoming, all the time the same energy consoled him letting him know it was going to be okay.

Letting out an exasperated gasp, Rob tried to pick himself back up and felt a shutter go through his body. An unfamiliar pressure began to build at the base of his spine. Rolling on his stomach, he raised his rear into the air and arced his back in an inhuman fashion as a means to try to stretch out the pressure. A number of audible pops pursued as his back realigned, but more noticeably, his coccyx extended into a new tail, his tail, which quickly grew the same fur that covered the rest of his body. At the same time the thin fur on his face and neck began to thicken. Rob turned to the mirror once more and watched as his ears began to grow larger and more pointed while they rose up his head. All the while fur began to cover his face. "Oh Noo..rr..uf" He muddled just as a new pressure was applied to his face. A new popping noise could be heard in his head as he felt his jaw and nose begin to elongate. He tightly closed his eyes and softly whined as the pressure continued. He could feel his teeth sharpening and new ridges line the roof of his mouth. Just then his nose completely turned black and new scent glands opened up, enabling him to smell what felt like everything. He slowly opened his eyes and everything seemed different. The colors of the room were different and his sight seemed sharper. Shaking his head, he tried to talk but all that came out was muffled growls and whines.

The next wave began to flow through Robert just as he began to try to sit up and to get a good look at himself. His hands and feet began to feel compressed as his fingers slowly retracted into paws. His thumbs and large toes raised up into dew claws and new pads started to envelop the bottom side of his hands and feet. Growling softly, he then felt his hind legs compress further causing them to shrink down in length that matched that of his front arms. All in the same motion, the muscles in his arms and legs began to spasm, thinning and molding them down so they were clearly canine. With the last contraction, his boxers fell to his new hind paws. Shaking his head once again, he slowly tried to rise up on what felt like his finger tips and toes. At first it was a little odd, and just as he was about to trip over his own clothing, a new instinct clicked and he some how knew how to walk on all fours and caught himself.

Staring in the mirror for a moment or two, Rob sat back on his haunches and admired himself, a newly formed German shepherd. He knew he was a fine looking canine specimen. All the while as he sat there, new thoughts slowly crept into his once human mind, and new instincts settled in unbeknownst to him. His canine tongue lawled out of his mouth as he smiled, then he suddenly felt something he had never experienced before. Looking down, he saw his new, male member begin to rise out of what was his furry sheath. A second later he knew he had to use the restroom. Quickly thinking to himself, he immediately rose to all fours and padded out of the room, heading straight for Katie’s doggy door. “If she can do it, then so can I”, he thought to himself as he pushed through the flap and headed out into the yard.

As the door flapped shut, Katie slowly opened her eyes and yawned just as her feminine body finished changing. Her heart rate had slowed and she breathed softly but deeply. All the while, she starting to feel a bit cold, subconsciously she rolled over and grabbed the blanket with her hands, and pulled it over her. As she began to curl up in it, she realized she needed to use the restroom. Slowly she rose to her two feet and headed towards the room. On the floor were a pair of Master's briefs and the rest of his clothes. She mumbled a few words and sat down to relieve herself.

Once outside, Rob sniffed around and found a few mounds of Katie's feces. He could smell her everywhere, and the thought of playing with her excited him. After finding a spot to mark as his own, he raised his leg and began to relieve himself as if it was second nature. At that same moment, Katie began to relieve herself as well. Both were overcome with a slight dizzy spell as the final wave of the strange energy swept through them as they finished. Slowly Rob relaxed and began sniffing around once more, but he realized that Katie's scent was gone. The only scent around was his own, and it was as if he were the only dog who had ever been present in the yard. He went back to the same pile of dung from before and smelled own his scent in it as well. This was bewildering to him as he knew he had not taken a dump since he changed. More confused than ever before he began to head back towards the house to see if Katie was still inside.

As Katie finished her deed, she came out of the restroom and looked in the mirror. Smiling she fluffed her hair and pulled off the dog collar that was around her neck. The collar that was once red and white was now black and had the name "Robby" on it. She also noticed that her evening hipsters, athletic bra, and pajamas were sitting on the floor. She quickly put them on and headed out to give her good boy his collar.

As Rob came through the dog door, he noticed someone coming out of his room. At first he would have thought it was an intruder, but something told him that he could trust the individual. "Robby, come here boy," Katie called, and Rob's tail began to wag involuntarily. He ran up and sat in front of her, staring up at something he never thought he would ever see. Standing there was beautiful woman, who had what had to have blonde hair with green eyes from what he could tell, the same he once had. Shocked, he began to shake as he lowered his head in disbelief.

She knelt down in front of him and hugged him tight, whispering in his ear, “You were right boy. We are going to have a great two weeks together. You'll see." She smiled as she fastened his collar around his neck. Softly she rubbed him between his ears, and then she went into her room and closed the door for the night.

Robby wasn't sure what to make of everything, but he knew he was exhausted. Sighing to himself, he figured some sleep wouldn't hurt and tomorrow he could figure out how this happened, so he walked over and curled up in what was now his bed at the corner of the room.

That next morning, quite sometime after sunrise, Rob heard the phone ring. Every Saturday morning his mom called, and he always let it go to the message machine just to see what crazy message she would leave. It was a game they played since he moved out. As he lay in bed, his ears twitched to focus on the machine so he could hear the message better: "...Good morning, GOOD MORNING, it's great to stay up late, good mornin', good mornin' to you... Hey Kate, we're going to be at the mall in an hour, maybe we'll see you there! If not we'll see you later, I'm sure! Love you, MOM..." As Rob caught the name, his eyes shot open and he saw two large forelegs with paws jetting out in front of him. "IT WASN'T A DREAM!?" He tried to say, but all that he produced was a shocked bark and whine. Immediately standing, his tail shot between his legs as he fought his racing mind, not to mention the natural instincts that were trying to help him overcome this fear.

Standing frozen for a minute or two while his mind ran at full speed, Robby slowly relaxed and thought to himself "Stressing this much whether I'm human or a dog will give me a heart attack, I'd best go relieve myself, then try to deal with things as they come." As he began to head for his dog door, he caught the sound of his owner softly snoring in her room. At that moment, he realized this person must have done something to cause this and all he wanted to do was bark as loud as he could to get her up so he could bite her. As quickly as the thought came, it was overpowered by an instinct that directed him to be good for her. "She's so tired and treats me so good, I'll just go play outside," he thought to himself as he continued his track for the door.

For the rest of the morning, Robby preoccupied himself with the exploration of the backyard. There were so many scents that he had to rediscover. While investigating the yard, he was fighting to recall hazy memories that were entering his mind, all the while trying not to lose himself to the wild instincts that wanted to break free. The more he focused on the past memories, the more confused he became. Robby found he could remember his life as a dog. While at the same time, his human memories were still present. His human mind was still intact, but some how, it was slowly being set aside, only to be referenced when he concentrated. After a few hours of reacquainting himself with the yard and marking his territory, Robby heard his name being summoned from inside. Without thinking, he tore off into the house to greet his owner.

As Kate just finished calling Robby for breakfast, she saw him running around the corner as excited as ever to greet her. The same changes that were occurring to Robby had also been providing Kate her human memories prior to last night’s events. As Robby stopped in front of her, she could tell that he had given in to some of the canine impulses and was slowly beginning to accept the changes just as she had.

"Wow! I slept in until 1. Why didn't you wake me up boy?!" She smiled and poured his dog food into the dish, "I wouldn't want you to go hungry now. You go ahead and eat. I'm going to go get the mail."

As she walked out the front door to the mailbox, Robby eyed the dry dog food that she had poured him. It didn't look appetizing and it smelled worse than it looked. More over, he still was having a hard time accepting the subservient role. As he eyed the food bowl in front of him, his stomach growled. Slowly he lowered his muzzle close to the bowl, feeling as if he were lowering himself in the process, his ears went back and he whined a little. Just as he began to feel sorry for himself, the wafting smell of his favorite food penetrated his thought process and he took a bite. "Just as good as I remember it," he thought to himself as he started woofing it down.

When Kate walked back in the door she saw Robby was licking the bowl clean. "Good grief! One of these days you're going to choke on your food," she said with a laugh as she began sorting through the mail, "... Bill, bill, junk. Hey! Look, it's your AKC papers. They're only 2 1/2 years late. Let's take a look shall we?"

Her voice was so soothing to Robby, and he somehow knew she was happy. He sat back on his haunches and listened to her as she continued.

"Blah, blah, blah, so much legal jargon. OKAY, here's your certificate!" she pulled out a piece of paper with a pedigree chart and waved it around a little. "Oooo, lookie here, your full name is: SG, Robert von der Leryka. Maybe I'll just call you Sir Robert von Leryka!" As she looked up, Robby barked in response. "Okay, you're right. Robby is much better." She giggled to herself and continued on with her daily chores. Later that day, as Kate finished calling to verify a few appointments, she saw Robby's brush on the counter and a Petsmart bag next to it. "I really should take him out to get some exercise," she said, as she grabbed her car keys, "Rooooobby, park time Robby!"

Hearing his mistress call out "park time" caused Robby's heart to skip a beat. His new memories and instincts were beginning to take control and this was one of his most favorite things to go do. Panting happily, he turned the corner and ran to sit next to the door for his master to groom him and then put him in the car. Kate came over and let him into the garage. "Here boy, lets brush you out before you get in the car." Pulling out the brush, she began to groom her good boy. During the process, when Kate lifted Robby's tail to groom his hind corners, he whined a little as a lingering of his once human modesty left him feeling a little disturbed. "You're doing so good boy," Kate said with a smile. After she was done, she clipped on his harness and, with little effort, belted him into the car.

As they pulled up to the dog park, Kate unwrapped a brand new shiny red ball. Robby immediately recognized the ball as the one he bought the day before, and as before his heart jumped again. "Ready to go play with your new ball, huh boy?" Kate asked as she waved it in front of him. "WOOF!" Robby responded as the pupils in his eyes grew wide when he focused on it. "Well then, let's get goin’, shall we?" Kate said with a smile as she clicked a leash to Robby's collar.

Once inside the gated area, the two played for what must have been more than two hours. It was a first for them both, and they were still growing accustomed to their new life styles. Kate had mastered all of her human memories and had no issues with the intricacies of a human life, while Robby was still fighting the instincts that were flooding his mind. However, every ball he returned to his master, he began to worry less and less about who he used to be and more on keeping his mistress happy.

Towards the end of their park visit, a neighbor and their Labrador came into the area. Robby recognized them and their dog, but decided to sniff around and become more familiar with the park while Kate went up to chat with them. As they conversed, the Lab came over and began sniffing around by Robby. Unsure at first how to respond, Robby froze, hoping the Lab would mind his own business, but a second later he felt a wet nose jammed under his tail. This caused him to jump and turn around quickly with a quick snarl. The Lab tilted his head in confusion, as if what he was doing was a common greeting between the two. Robby then felt a small curiosity and need to return the gesture. Slowly, he stuck his nose under the Lab's tail and took a whiff of the neighboring dog. More memories flooded into Robby's mind as he remembered this to be one of his best friends. Smiling, he barked at the Lab and they played the rest of the night.

When Kate and Robby got home that night, Robby was exhausted. He quickly went to his dog bed, curled up and dosed off. Over the next few days, Kate began making phone calls and scheduling some appointments. All the while, Robby fell into his canine role, while he relaxed, played ball, and tried his best to please his master.

One morning, there was a knock at the door, and Rob's old girlfriend came in greeting Kate. When Robby saw her, he was slightly confused but happy all the same, running up to her demanding to be pet. As excited as he was, he also becoming erect in the joy of seeing her. "Hey Kate, I think your dog is a little too happy to see me," Jenna said as she pushed Robby off of her. "Have you put any thought into breeding him? He is a great looking dog."

"Yea, I'm working on a few things, but we'll see," Kate replied as she picked up her keys and her purse. "So let’s get goin’, I want to hit that sale before the crowds do."

As they both walked out, Robby found himself alone for the first time. All the time his owner was gone, Robby was anxious and sad. He had no one around, and he really wanted to play. After what seemed like days, Kate unlocked the door and was met by an overly excited Robby. He ran around and then found himself sitting at her side with a big smile. He looked up at his mistress and she smiled back down to him. "Look Robby, I bought a necklace for me. I just had to have something with my name on it," Kate said as she showed him the gold inscribed necklace. He barked in return and looked on in admiration of her.

As the days rolled by, Robby really had grown into his new self well, and was also finding that he enjoyed being a dog. The stresses he once felt were no longer present, and all the while he had someone who loved and cared for him.

“ROBBY! Time to go for a run boy!” Kate called out, waiting with his leash and a smile at the door. Not one to miss a chance to get out and run, Robby’s ears perked and he’s off with a dash. “You’re such a good boy. You ready to go for a run?” “WOOF!” He responded as he waited at the door to get out and play with his master.

As they ran that evening, Katie felt the flow of a familiar energy that she had felt weeks earlier. They ran for hours and felt great doing it. "This has been so much fun, hasn’t it boy?" She fluffed his head as he looked up, smiling with his tongue hanging out, panting slightly. "Well, I guess we should finish up the loop and call it a night." As they headed back, they both were feeling great. For Rob, he was just happy to be out with his master, running and feeling free. The Energy flowing through Katie also had her feeling great.

When they got home, they both hydrated and crashed in front of the couch. A slight feeling of deja vu pulsed through their thoughts, reminded each of them what had occurred. Rob felt a little bit anxious with the thoughts, but as panic just started to trickle into his mind, he felt a soft caressing hand pet him which calmed him.

As Kate started petting her good boy, she smiled and started tearing up. “Boy, I’m not sure how this happened or why, but either way I want you to know I love you. As your dog or master you’ve been so great to me.” Just as she finished her statement, a pain rumbled through her bowels. Jetting up she went and closed herself into her room.

All the while, Robby felt conflicted but the worry about Kate pushed out those thoughts. All he could hear was mumbled sounds followed by wines and grumbled barks. Some period of time later, there was some whining and scratching on the door. Confused further, Robby went over to the door, hopped up and pushed the door open, just to be tackled by Katie. His eyes wide open, he looked up at his German shepherd staring down at him with a smile. After a minute of taking in her victory, she darted outside.

Sitting up slowly, Rob was in shock. If he was a dog when she was the master, and he was the master when she was the dog, then how could they both be dogs? As he tried to consider it further, he began to get sidetracked. He really wanted to play with Katie. Hopping up, he bolted for the dog door. When he got outside, no longer was his scent the only one in the yard; it was both he and Katie’s yard. Smiling to himself, he saw her coming at him and jumped around with her. After a few hours of playing, the two went back inside and curled up on the dog bed together and were soon sound asleep.

Unlike the last couple weeks, Robby’s dreams were different. Since he changed he dreamed of his puppy-hood, how to make his master happy, finding that perfect bitch, as any dog would. Not tonight though. When he finally got to sleep, he started dreaming of the times where he was throwing the ball for his good girl. Smiling and back in his old life. It was such a happy time. Later that evening, a second vivid dream came to him where he was the one chasing the ball his owner threw for him. Loving her and taking care of her. Living the life he just had for the last few weeks. In the final dream, he saw Katie waiting for him, his loving German shepherd; however, he was eye to eye with her. Standing in his shepherd form as well. They played as they did that night, but something was different. She was emitting pheromones that told him that she was able to have his puppies, which excited him.

When the third dream completed, he found himself in front of three paths. One had his human self at the end of it, the next his owner, Kate, was calling him, and at the end of the third path was Katie barking for him to come play. A moment later a clear thought crossed his mind: “Choose one. For you will be in that life from this point forward.” Considering his options, he knew that no matter the choice, his life would change. A minute or two later, Rob took a step forward into his future.