Pet supply shopping for Stacey

Stacey could see the sun set in the distance. The food that was on the table was probably fine, but she couldn’t really enjoy it. Cool evening air brushed against Stacey's skin, raising goosebumps and prompting an involuntary shiver. She wrapped her arms around herself, seeking warmth, a stark reminder of her vulnerability.

Every so often, Stacey caught her brother's gaze drifting towards her boobs, quickly averting his eyes whenever their eyes threatened to meet. She wondered if someone could be simultaneously grossed out by being checked out by their brother while also appreciating the fact that someone could admire and appreciate her body. It could, she reasoned, because that’s how she felt at the moment.

She had tried to follow the conversation, but lost in her own thoughts she hadn’t really managed. After having discussed the national football team, they’d been discussing something about politics. Both were equally boring to a naked young woman like herself who was about to be locked up in the local zoo, albeit with this gorgeous girl called Bridget.

Mindlessly, Stacey was looking at her plate and focused on the food that lay on it, when she heard her father say; “So guys, there’s another subject I wanted to discuss”

“Great, here we go again, another boring subject,” Stacey figured. But something told her this might be worth listening to, as the mostly mundane subjects that were discussed at the table, weren’t usually introduced like this.

“Your mother and I have been thinking”, her father continued, “maybe we should get some kind of pet. A dog, perhaps”, he paused to gauge the response from Stacey’s little brother and sister.

Stacey looked at her brother and sister. They both looked somewhat excited, looking at each other to see who would speak up first. Her sister did;

“That’s great!”, she said, “but why now?”

“Well, “, her father replied, “we don’t want to put you guys any undue pressure, but eventually you’re gonna leave the house. And we thought it would be good to get some sense of responsibility into y’all before you left to live on your own.”

Stacey's fork paused mid-air, hovering forgotten as her father's words sank in. She had suggested so many times to get a dog. And now that she was leaving the house, they finally were getting one. Perhaps it’s the fate of being the oldest, but somehow it always felt as if she was put at some kind of disadvantage compared to her younger siblings…

“And,” she heard her mother continue, carefully choosing her words, “With Stacey leaving the house, we thought it might be a lot quieter around here”, her mother looked a little sad as she took another breath, “so we thought that buying a dog might compensate for that a little”

Stacey's hands clenched into fists beneath the table, her jaw tightening as she struggled to keep her voice even. “What?! After all these years of me asking to get a dog, you finally decide to just as I'm leaving? You're getting a pet as a substitute for me? Is that all I am, nothing but a pet?!” Her words came out sharper than she intended, a clear indication of the storm brewing inside her. It was the first thing she’d said during dinner and she felt a lot of pent up frustration leave her body in that moment.

“Oh shut up”, her father said instantly and calmly, essentially ignoring her emotional state of mind. A response she had definitely not expected. “You were the one who chose to leave the house”, he continued, “and as I seem to recall you were also the one who chose to live in a zoo and be treated like some darn zoo animal. We gave you a choice to back out, but you explicitly decided not to. You’re a grown adult, but so are we. You make your choices and we make ours.”

Quickly she decided to do as her father had said and shut up. She wasn’t sure what to feel. Angry she was for sure. But also her father had been right, she had been the one to choose to live in the zoo like some zoo animal. Maybe she also felt a bit of embarrassment. It was a rather ‘unconventional’ choice after all.

“So what kind of dog are we getting, dad? Is it going to be a big dog?”, her brother asked.

“Well, that is what your mom and I had in mind as well, but your sister has to agree with it as well”, Stacey’s father said. It was clear that with ‘your sister’ he didn’t mean Stacey.

“A big dog sounds good to me”, Stacey’s sister said.

“Good”, her father said, “then the three of us will leave right after dinner to pick up some supplies."

“So dad”, Stacey’s brother asked, “how can we be getting supplies if we don’t even know what breed of dog we’ll be getting?”

Stacey’s father grinned, looking back at his son through the rear view mirror while focusing on the traffic ahead of him not able to reply right away.

“Or does this have to do something with Stacey?”, her sister added while looking at her father from the passenger seat.

“Yes, you could say that”, their father answered. “As you know, Stacey is transitioning to become some kind of human zoo animal exhibit, and has insisted on doing everything the same like her counterpart, uhm, Bridget is doing.” He paused for a moment, but he knew that so far he hadn’t told his kids anything new.“So, this Bridget has decided to act like a dog awaiting her move to the zoo.” He looked at his children once again, and could see them gasp, processing this information.

“That means that until her move, we must treat Stacey like a dog as well. Rest assured, if you show that you can be and act like a responsible dog owner, we’ll get a real dog after Stacey has left the house” Their father's voice held a mix of bemusement and concern as he explained. Even though she had agreed, at least initially, to becoming a zoo animal, he couldn't help but wonder about the implications of this unusual journey she was embarking upon.

“So that means that we’re gonna collar Stacey and treat her like a pet?” Stacey’s sister asked, clearly excited.

“Yes, sweetie, that’s what that means.” Her father said, glad that he could introduce this aspect to his son and youngest daughter before telling Stacey later on.

“I love that idea! She has always been my big sister, and it will be great to see the roles reversed for once”. Stacey’s sister was clearly excited, visions of role reversal dancing in her eyes. Her brother, on the other hand, paused, wondering what this would mean for him before he masked it with a little smile.

As they stepped into the pet shop, rows of shiny collars, plush beds, and an array of toys set the scene for their unusual shopping list. Quickly they were approached by nice gentleman who was wearing the pet shop’s uniform.

“So you’re looking for a large dog bed for a large dog? Might I ask what kind of breed?”, he asked.

“Well, it’s hard to say exactly. It’s just a very large dog”

“Right”, the young man said, “I’ve had a similar request just a few days ago, and they picked this type of bed”, he said as he walked to one of the biggest and most cushy dog beds they had.

Stacey’s sister jumped on the bed and stretched her limbs, “Okay, this is the one!” She yelled.

The young shop attendant looked with a smile, wondering if there’s some new kind of graze where people bought dog beds for themselves. He was pretty sure the woman who had walked in just a few days ago was buying the stuff for herself, and maybe this family was also buying a dog bed for the girl that was lying down on the dog bed in front of him? He decided to keep his mouth shut and was already looking to make the commission.

“We also need a leash, collar and bowls”, Stacey’s father said.

The shop attendant showed them the same products as he’d sold Bridget the other day. They didn’t ask too many questions and he was happy to complete yet another nice sale.

“Dad, where are we driving to?”, Stacey’s brother asked when they were back in the car and he’d realized they weren’t headed for home.

“We need to do some more shopping, son”, his father said

“What else could we possibly need, dad?”

“This other girl”, he said referring to Bridget, “has sort of **** herself on all fours by carrying around a dolly with a very heavy dumbbell on top of it that’s attached through a chain to her collar. She’s also wearing mittens to ensure she doesn’t have any use of her hands”

“Awesome!” He said. “God, I love this Bridget, she really is going all-in, isn’t she?”

“I bet she is bat-shit crazy”, his little sister replied.

“Well, whatever she is, apparently your sister is in love with her and we’re here to support her”, their father said. He didn’t want to think about if this meant that his daughter, Stacey, was also bat-shit crazy. It had just become this thing he’d have to do and take care of.

“But dad,” his son continued, “shouldn’t we go for a bit more high-tech solution? Why not have the cameras monitor if she’s on all fours, and maybe use a shock collar or something to correct her if she tries to stand up?

He felt the car slow down and come to a full stop next to the curb.

“Could you do that, son? And by when could you have it finished?” The father asked.

“I think I could have it done by tomorrow morning, dad”

“Hold on, let me make a quick call”, the father said as he stepped out of the car to call the zoo director. His children didn’t know who he was calling, but within the minute he stepped back into the car.

“It’s a great idea, son. What kind of supplies do you need?”

“Just a shock collar, dad. I think. I saw they sold them at the pet shop”

The car sped off and with a decisive flick of the steering wheel, the car swung around in a smooth U-turn, the children bracing themselves against the sudden movement. 'Back to the pet shop, then,' he said with a clear resolve in his voice as they retraced their path to the shop.

“Hello, we just purchased this collar here but I wonder if we can return it and buy two of those shock collars instead?”, the father asked. It was a different shop attendant than who’d helped them before.

“Certainly sir”, and after a bit of manipulating the cash register by the shop attendant and a quick credit card swipe they left the pet shop once more.

“Why did we need two collars, dad?”, Stacey’s little sister asked.

“Well honey, we’re trying to give both girls a similar treatment. So when Stacey is going to be wearing a shock collar, we’ll also have to buy one for, uhm, Bridget”.

Instead of a regular collar they were now carrying two shock collars.

On their way home they briefly stopped at the sex shop where Stacey’s father bought a pair of mittens. He definitely wasn’t interested in visiting a sex shop together with any one of his kids, so they had to remain in the car. Afterwards, they headed straight for home.