The Borrowed Dog – an Original Short Story by Don McDonald

In a neighborhood caught between old ghosts and new money, Mara just wants a good night’s sleep. But when she offers to walk her neighbor’s barking dog, she steps into the orbit of Iris Lopez—a fiercely independent woman facing the quiet end of her life. What begins as a simple favor becomes a profound exchange of grace, purpose, and belonging. The Borrowed Dog is a story about loneliness, legacy, and the unexpected ways we rescue each other.