BarkingProse

Any one of us house dogs could have handled today’s bark, but since I’ve got the most to be thankful for we decided I should do it.

If you’ve been reading our barks, you know I was taken from my owner after somebody complained me, my pal Butch, and a bunch of little dogs were being neglected.

I had no idea what it meant to be neglected. I’d always lived that way. Oh I knew I had fleas, my eyes were gooey and I was pretty skinny, but at least I had a place to live. I’d say I was ignored more than neglected.

Then one day the animal control officer came and arrested me and Butch. We were put into a dog cage. Nobody read us our rights.

I don’t know what hapened to the little yappers in the house. Butch and me were put in jail. First we were together in the same cell, then one day Butch disappeared.

I spent five long months in the joint. I didn’t have an attorney or anybody to speak for me. I never got a chance to tell my story. Nobody asked me what I wanted. The jailers were really nice to me. I guess they decided I was a pretty good mutt because one day without any explanation I got sprung. Old Dog Haven volunteers drove me way far north to where I met my new pack.

Sorry for all the details about my past life, but if you don’t know my history you won’t understand what Thanksgiving means to me. This is my first Thanksgiving at Asherpark. My fleas are gone, I’ve gained some weight, my fur is thick and shiny, and my eyes are bright.

I can see because Old Dog Haven pays for my eye drops. Every day I get a drop in each eye. Otherwise I will go blind. I don’t like the drops but I sit real still. I do admit I clench my eyes tight shut, but my people know just how to spread my eyelids enough to get the drop inside. Then they kiss me and make over me and tell me how wonderful I am. Sometimes when I’m still blinking they’ll slip a treat in my mouth.

Last night it was plenty cold. I took my nightly walk down the driveway. I could hear outside dogs barking. I could smell the coyotes. I looked back at my home. The lights were on and it was warm inside. Tess ran by and bumped me. That’s the signal to head back to the house. We always get a treat before bedtime and Tess likes us to hurry back so she doesn’t have to wait for hers.

When we were all in, Mom turned out the lights. I followed her to the bedroom and curled up in a ball in my favorite bed. She kissed my crooked old snout and told me she loved me. Dad told me how special I am, that I’m a permanent member of the pack and I will always have a home.

That’s the beauty of it. I have a forever home at Asherpark with Ash and Tess. My people love me and take care of me. Generous donors sponsor me through Old Dog Haven. I even have a secret admirer who writes me notes and sends me treats. My heart is bursting with joy and gratitude. I am so very very thankful.

When mom said I was going to see the chiropractor I had no idea what she was talking about. I asked Tess and she didn’t have a clue. So I looked it up in the dictionary.

It says chiropractors figure out mechanical problems with your spine and fix you up by moving your bones around. Dad says that sounds like getting an alignment on the car. Anyway, I really didn’t know what I was in for.

We got to the vet around noon. Dr. Hannah is married to our everyday vet Dr. Brad. She’s the vet for horses and does chiropractic and acupuncture too. Mom forgot to tell me how really nice Dr. Hannah is. I liked her right away even though I knew she was gonna do some funny stuff with me.

Mom told Dr. Hannah that I twitch my head up and down when I’m nervous or out of breath. Mom’s worried that I have a kink in my neck because of all my acrobatics. I can do a mean flying dog imitation if I do say so myself.

I was embarrassed and wouldn’t do my twitch stuff at first while Dr. Hannah was watching. So she started feeling around my neck and said my head was rotated crooked on my spine. She gently pushed and pulled, twisting my head from side to side. I heard a couple of things go pop.

Mom said my blue eyes got real big and I looked scared. Next thing Dr. Hannah pushed a rib back in place. Oh that felt good. She went over my whole body, feeling for spots where things were crooked. She even worked on my toes. I was just getting into this whole chiropractor thing when it was over.

Dr. Hannah said I was real good, but she forgot to give me a treat. Then she told mom I had to be quiet the rest of the weekend. Mom asked her if that meant no ball. When I heard “no ball” my ears perked up, my eyes got big and I twisted my head to the side. It was pretty clear I didn’t like what I had just heard.

Dr. Hannah looked right at me and said, “No ball for two days, Asher.” Nuts. That was gonna make for a lost weekend. But I liked Dr. Hannah anyway and I didn’t mind when she told mom I should come back for another treatment in a few weeks. Maybe next time she’ll remember to give me my treat. Thanks Dr. Hannah.

I was worried about Ash while mom was gone. Everybody says he’s just not the same without her. He’s my best friend and I wanted him to feel better, so I stuck close to him as much as I could.

We were getting ready for another night without mom when we heard a car in the driveway. Well, Ash and I heard the car. Jack is so deaf all he heard was us barking.

Dad let us out and we ran to the garage. We couldn’t believe it. Mom was home!

Ash was so crazy with excitement his nose met his tail coming and going. He went tearing around the garage looking for a ball, for anything to grab in his mouth. It’s like he has to have something in his mouth or he can’t control himself.

When Jack saw mom he started crying and grinning at the same time. He sat down and gave her his paw. Then he gave her three little licks. That’s a lot of licks for Jack.

Me, I flopped on my back right in front of her so she couldn’t move. She knelt down and gave me a good belly rub. Meanwhile Ash was tearing through the garage with a stinky old ball in his mouth. Jack continued with his silly groans and finally we let mom say hi to dad.

It was blowing something awful but we didn’t care. Even before mom could bring her stuff into the house we went for a walk. The smells were strong in the wind. Leaves and branches were falling around us. Neighbor dogs were barking. It felt like a Halloween night.

Ash tossed mom his slobbery ball. She threw it as far as she could in the wind, but it was a sissy little pop up. We ran around in circles, bumped into each other and acted like a bunch of fools. Finally we all took a deep breath and went back to the house. Mom made us sit and shake hands with her. Then she gave us the most wonderful treats she brought us from Chicago.

When we settled down we all took turns sitting on mom’s lap. Ash was the last but he stayed there the longest. He licked her face until his tongue was dry. Mom held his snout and whispered that she loved him and would always come back. She told me and Jack the same thing. The pack settled in together for the night. All is well.

Respectfully, Tess.