BarkingProse

It was a strange weekend. There were dogs and people coming and going. It rained real hard and mom got tired of wiping our muddy paws, so we had to stay in the house for a while.

On Sunday my pal Cody and his mom came to see us. They decided to babysit us dogs while mom and dad went to a friend’s house for dinner.

Well, one thing lead to another and the next thing I knew Jack was having a drink. He said he wanted a scotch, so Cody’s mom served him up some Johnny Walker.

That got Jack to thinking about his past and he got a little teary eyed. Me and Tess sat real quiet while Jack talked about where he used to live. He told us about getting hurt in a fight and nobody caring that he was all torn up. That’s why his face is scarred.

Tess had always wondered about his lumpy ear but had been afraid to ask. He said he got his fat ear from a hematoma that didn’t get treated. It hurt pretty bad at the time but doesn’t bother him now. He talked about the animal police taking him away and not knowing whether he’d get out of the shelter alive.

Jack said he tries not to think of the past, but sometimes it just catches up with him. He told me and Tess to be grateful that we hadn’t seen the really tough side of life. Even though Tess was in the shelter, she got out in a couple of days cause she was young and cute. He said a lot of older dogs like him never make it out.

That’s when Cody barked in. He told us there are two kinds of dogs – those who have done shelter time and those who haven’t. I was starting to feel guilty. Out of us four dogs, I’m the only one with no shelter time. That really made me think.

By now Jack was feeling tipsy. He’d done enough talking for the night and wanted to take a nap. We left him alone with his thoughts. I’m still thinking about what he said.

Mom says I’m finally growing up. I’m not sure I want to. She’s not sure she wants me to either. She wants me to be well behaved, but she loves my goofy side a lot.

When I was still a baby my litter mates did everything in a group. Mom said it looked like a pile of puppies with feet. They went everywhere together, except for me. I started exploring as soon as I could walk. First the closet at my birth home, later anywhere I could get to.

When we lived in the city mom spent hours trying to keep me inside the fenced yard. I never tried to dig my way out but I would squeeze under if I could. The place kinda looked like a junkyard with all the stakes pounded along the fence line – just for me, she used to tell me.

When we moved to the country I was a year old. I was crazy for adventure. There were new smells everywhere. I spent days sniffing the fence line looking for a way out. It didn’t take me long at our new place to find all the weak spots in the fence.

Once in a while she caught me half way under the fence or climbing over a low spot, but usually she found me missing when she called for me. Oh, she tried her best. She made me report about every five minutes. Ha! Once I found a weak spot I could be gone in a flash.

We don’t live near any busy roads, so she isn’t worried about me and cars. But we do live near coyotes. And there’s a lynx out there somewhere, not to mention the neighbors goats. One time she kept calling me, but I wouldn’t tell her where I was. So she started looking for me across the ravine. She spotted me in with the goats next door.

I pretended like I couldn’t jump over the fence, so the neighbor was going to open the gate for me. But mom said if I got myself in there I could certainly get myself out. Mom was getting pretty steamed at me looking at her from the wrong side of the fence, so I decided I’d better get going. I said see ya to the goats and cleared the fence with at least a foot to spare.

The neighbor lady gasped. She didn’t think I could do it. Mom wasn’t laughing, so I knew I’d pushed my luck. Funny thing is mom always says you can’t scold a dog for coming when called. Besides I knew if I washed her face she’d get over it. She was just worried that something bad would happen to me.

After an adventure I usually behave myself for a while. It’s different now that I have Tess. She’s my pal and I’m happy to hang with her. Mom says I’m like some old married guy.

But once in a while I can’t help myself. I get that urge to see the world. I got out yesterday and had a fine time. But instead of mom having to hunt me down, I just waited at the front gate for her to let me back in. I guess I am growing up. Oh well, gotta run.