Diminishing the Call of the Wild

Sometimes I wonder if Willow remembers a time when he was not loved, when he was not my doggy and not spoiled rotten. Last night I woke up in the middle of the night because I realized it was raining and I had left my dog outside. But when he was a puppy he spent the night in cold rain by himself. He had no one to bring him in and rub him down with a warm clean towel. He had no warm house with carpet to lay down and sleep. 
He was outside for 4 hours in upper 50 - 60 degree weather because I fell asleep after letting him out. But when it started raining it wasn't even cold yet. I still felt bad for him.
This morning when feeding him in a shiny stainless steel bowl, I wondered if he has any remembrance at all of his days as a wild puppy. Sometimes I recall how long it took and how hard it was to change his feral characteristics. I learned to love him; he learned to depend on me, but I didn't quite trust him and he didn't quite trust me. For a couple of years I kept him on a long leash, both physically and figuratively.
Going through parvo-virus when he was a year and a half changed him a lot. Its been a long climb even after that, but I know now that he would rather be with us than anywhere else. It will always be in his nature to want to check things out, but he definitely wants his people more. He still doesn't mind always when he's distracted. When he gets scared he kind of loses his focus. But when he steps over the fence chasing a cat or a squirrel or a possum, he goes to the front door and wants back in. Every now and then, he jumps back over the fence.
One day I arrived home to find him sitting on the front porch dejected. I don't know how long he was out, but he wasn't happy about it. That doesn't stop him from stepping over the fence - and yes we have to get that fixed - but it's not because he wants to be free of us or feels the call of the wild.
He no longer cringes when we take him walking in unfamiliar territory, and his tail seldom tucks in with a confused, wild look in his eyes. He still isn't over friendly with strangers, but it's seldom fear based these days. Sometimes he doesn't want to mind. He'd like to be the alpha dog and decide how things go, but his love and respect for us bring him around.
There are those who say he's only an animal, he has no real allegiance, no understanding. But I will differ. The other night I was cleaning up after supper while he chewed on his fake bone in the other room. I said in a normal conversation voice. "If you want these sweet potato peels, come here and I'll give them to you." No whistle, no name, just 'if'. He left his 'bone' and came to the kitchen for the cooked peels, which he loves. There are times when I know he would speak if his mouth could make it happen.
It's a testament to change. Last night he was very loving after I brought him in. He licked my hand and rubbed against me over and over while I dried him. It's those times when I wonder if he remembers.