The stress hit me as I walked into Montreal’s Pierre-Eliott Trudeau airport. I was dreading the 36-hour journey back to New Zealand. As I dragged my heavy heart and overstuffed suitcase, a photograph of a familiar face on the departure board stopped me in my tracks.

          Staring back at me was Winston, my brother’s dog. A pet squad member. A team of dedicated animals and their owners with a mission to bring moments of relaxation to passengers and crew members. And just like that, a simple picture melted my tension away. 

          Winston, a beautiful black Portuguese water dog is, and I say this with conviction despite having little dog experience, no ordinary dog. He is patient, playful, cuddly and obedient (the exception is with food, but his love of snacks makes him all the more appealing). It is safe to say that he has warmed my cold dog-allergic heart. 

          I searched for him and my sister-in-law (dog owner extraordinaire and volunteer of the pet squad program) in the crowded airport like a long-lost lover. As I spotted them my heart skipped a beat, I desperately hoped he would recognize me. Is there anything more validating than a dog approving of you? Fortunately, his wagging tail and smile indicated that he did. His recognition of me leaving me ever so flattered.

          As I waited for my boarding time, I shadowed his shift. A rushed pilot, forgetting he was in a hurry, stopped to give Winston a good pat as he grinned ear to ear. Bored children found a new friend. The importance of his role and the joy he brought others became so apparent. 

My meet-up with Winston, my pet squad hero, didn’t make my journey home any shorter but it certainly made it a lot happier. 

Marie-Eve is a Québecoise and works as a nursery teacher. She has previously published in Montréal Writes, Quail Bell , LitBreak Magazine, Academy of the Heart and Mind, Afterpast Review, The Amazine, Hungry Zine, Juste Milieu Zine, Scraps Magazine, Unlikely Stories Mark V, Pictura Journal (forthcoming) and Elixir Magazine (forthcoming)