Love That Dirty Water
"I thought you said you taught the new puppy to sit?'
Lana bit her tongue. "I did. But I'm surprised you remember this morning's conversation as out of sorts as you were."
"Well, he won't sit for me," grumbled Neil. "Why didn't you find an intelligent, good-looking dog that would be a great companion for us? This little mongrel looks like he just stepped out of the sewer. Remember Tramp on that Disney movie? Tramp was pretty compared to this little mutt."
"Oh, absolutely mahvelous, dahling! You give me such encouragement!"
"Why won't he sit for me?" whined Neil.
"Probably for a number of reasons. One, you're a twit. Two, you are too harsh with him. You are scaring him. He's only 5 pounds! Three, you aren't patient enough. Give him some time to get used to you. and four, you're a twit."
"You're saying he doesn't like twits, or I'm a twit?"
"Yes."
"I'm going to work." Neil mumbled.
"They don't like you there either!" Lana called back over her shoulder to him, then giggled. Poor Neil was just not as good with dogs as she was, and it always frustrated him. That's what he gets for not going with her to the animal shelter.
Lana visited the shelter often enough to see most of the dogs that passed through their system. She loved to take them for walks and hold them. But the dogs that she loved the most were the ones that everyone agreed would probably not be adopted. Lana watched the people come in and shy away from the ones that weren't so attractive or were deformed in some way. Some had legs amputated after being hit by cars. Some had been mistreated, missing an eye or an ear. Some wanted nothing to do with people, and they made it known very clearly. Even Lana couldn't help some of them. The animals wouldn't let her.
She and Neil had always had dogs, and when their last pet had to be put down after being with them for fourteen years, Lana had decided to take a break for a while. She had taken the death very hard, and she thought she would never be able to have another dog. Parting with them hurt so deeply. Neil was the one that thought of her volunteering at the shelter, and that had proved to be an excellent idea. Being with all the animals gave her the heart to be able to save and bring another one home to live. This new pup was number four. Their other three dogs also had come from the shelter.
Naming the new pup was a big decision for Lana, and she was concerned that she and Neil hadn't come up with one that they agreed on. Neil always came up with run-of-the-mill dog names, or worse yet to Lana, he would want to call them people names. That was something that Lana almost never agreed to though they’d had a Charlie and a Daisy. Lana discovered early that Charlie was the perfect name for that dog. And as for Daisy? It was a yellow lab. Perfect fit. They needed a perfect fit for this little fellow and Fido just wasn't it.
Lana bounced down the stairs to the family room below. They had crated the new pup for his sleeping quarters and were keeping him there until he was completely trained to go outside when he needed. She thought it would be soon. He was such a smart little creature and had understood right away what the bell hanging on the back door meant. He was taught to bounce his nose on the bell to ring it, but he had discovered he had so much more fun batting the bell with his front paw just as a cat would.
Lana opened the spring latch on the door and he came bouncing out, ready to play, and she bounced right along with him and headed toward the back door with the bell. As soon as he saw the bell he began to run and slid to a stop. Up went the paw as he batted away.
"Yes, yes. It's time to go outside." she cooed.
"Everybody outside!" she called, and it seemed that dogs were coming from everywhere. They all burst into the huge backyard going in every direction, looking for their certain favorite spot. Lana and the new puppy went off in their own direction. He was sniffing away with zeal while Lana was watching the other dogs and enjoying the fresh April air. She had to be careful where she walked because it had rained two nights ago and there were still little mud ponds. It had rained so much lately there was hardly a chance for it to dry, but she knew that meant the summer would be lush with vegetation and kudzu. Local residents didn't seem to like the kudzu, but Lana loved it. The vine grew around and over everything, engulfing abandoned sheds and cars. She loved driving down a road and seeing a mound of kudzu shaped like a little house.
Lana looked up into the trees at the back of their lot. The wooded area was thick and full of birds and owls. She knew there were snakes back there sometimes, but she hoped the presence of the dogs kept most snakes away. On the other side of the fence in back the neighbor had horses and goats. The horses came up to the fence and she loved when they did, but she was afraid of horses so she was careful. Lana could handle almost any dog, but horses were a different story.
All of a sudden Lana heard water splashing behind her. When she turned to look she saw the puppy had moved behind her and was standing in the middle of a mud pond about three feet across in size and with his left paw he was splashing the dirty water everywhere. She sighed. She was used to puppy baths, but this one was going to be especially dirty.
Lana laughed as she approached, but the puppy was having so much fun she was having a hard time getting close enough to grab him. She tried going around behind him, but the pup turned and kept splashing. She was getting it in the face, dirty water dripping onto her pretty blue shirt. She tried to wipe the dirty water from her cheeks but she just wasn't fast enough to keep up.
"What a dog!" she thought as the cuteness was beginning to wear off. "What an annoying dog!"
Lana squared her shoulders and made the decision that she wasn't going to put up with any more of this. Then it happened. It happened so quickly that she never saw it coming. Lana's ballet slippered feet slipped on the edge of the mud puddle. The right foot went right and the left foot went left. Then both feet went over Lana's head. When it was over, Lana was face down in the mud puddle with her knees firmly planted in the mud and her rear sticking up in the air. She pulled her head up and looked directly into the big black eyes of a drenched, but happy puppy. Worse was what she spied over the dog's head. Nita, Lana's nosy next-door neighbor was standing on her deck that looked over the fence with her right hand planted over her mouth. Lana knew she was laughing, and Lana also knew that the hand planted over her mouth wouldn't stop her from telling the whole neighborhood what she had just witnessed. Everyone would know by lunch time.
Lana bit her tongue. "I did. But I'm surprised you remember this morning's conversation as out of sorts as you were."
"Well, he won't sit for me," grumbled Neil. "Why didn't you find an intelligent, good-looking dog that would be a great companion for us? This little mongrel looks like he just stepped out of the sewer. Remember Tramp on that Disney movie? Tramp was pretty compared to this little mutt."
"Oh, absolutely mahvelous, dahling! You give me such encouragement!"
"Why won't he sit for me?" whined Neil.
"Probably for a number of reasons. One, you're a twit. Two, you are too harsh with him. You are scaring him. He's only 5 pounds! Three, you aren't patient enough. Give him some time to get used to you. and four, you're a twit."
"You're saying he doesn't like twits, or I'm a twit?"
"Yes."
"I'm going to work." Neil mumbled.
"They don't like you there either!" Lana called back over her shoulder to him, then giggled. Poor Neil was just not as good with dogs as she was, and it always frustrated him. That's what he gets for not going with her to the animal shelter.
Lana visited the shelter often enough to see most of the dogs that passed through their system. She loved to take them for walks and hold them. But the dogs that she loved the most were the ones that everyone agreed would probably not be adopted. Lana watched the people come in and shy away from the ones that weren't so attractive or were deformed in some way. Some had legs amputated after being hit by cars. Some had been mistreated, missing an eye or an ear. Some wanted nothing to do with people, and they made it known very clearly. Even Lana couldn't help some of them. The animals wouldn't let her.
She and Neil had always had dogs, and when their last pet had to be put down after being with them for fourteen years, Lana had decided to take a break for a while. She had taken the death very hard, and she thought she would never be able to have another dog. Parting with them hurt so deeply. Neil was the one that thought of her volunteering at the shelter, and that had proved to be an excellent idea. Being with all the animals gave her the heart to be able to save and bring another one home to live. This new pup was number four. Their other three dogs also had come from the shelter.
Naming the new pup was a big decision for Lana, and she was concerned that she and Neil hadn't come up with one that they agreed on. Neil always came up with run-of-the-mill dog names, or worse yet to Lana, he would want to call them people names. That was something that Lana almost never agreed to though they’d had a Charlie and a Daisy. Lana discovered early that Charlie was the perfect name for that dog. And as for Daisy? It was a yellow lab. Perfect fit. They needed a perfect fit for this little fellow and Fido just wasn't it.
Lana bounced down the stairs to the family room below. They had crated the new pup for his sleeping quarters and were keeping him there until he was completely trained to go outside when he needed. She thought it would be soon. He was such a smart little creature and had understood right away what the bell hanging on the back door meant. He was taught to bounce his nose on the bell to ring it, but he had discovered he had so much more fun batting the bell with his front paw just as a cat would.
Lana opened the spring latch on the door and he came bouncing out, ready to play, and she bounced right along with him and headed toward the back door with the bell. As soon as he saw the bell he began to run and slid to a stop. Up went the paw as he batted away.
"Yes, yes. It's time to go outside." she cooed.
"Everybody outside!" she called, and it seemed that dogs were coming from everywhere. They all burst into the huge backyard going in every direction, looking for their certain favorite spot. Lana and the new puppy went off in their own direction. He was sniffing away with zeal while Lana was watching the other dogs and enjoying the fresh April air. She had to be careful where she walked because it had rained two nights ago and there were still little mud ponds. It had rained so much lately there was hardly a chance for it to dry, but she knew that meant the summer would be lush with vegetation and kudzu. Local residents didn't seem to like the kudzu, but Lana loved it. The vine grew around and over everything, engulfing abandoned sheds and cars. She loved driving down a road and seeing a mound of kudzu shaped like a little house.
Lana looked up into the trees at the back of their lot. The wooded area was thick and full of birds and owls. She knew there were snakes back there sometimes, but she hoped the presence of the dogs kept most snakes away. On the other side of the fence in back the neighbor had horses and goats. The horses came up to the fence and she loved when they did, but she was afraid of horses so she was careful. Lana could handle almost any dog, but horses were a different story.
All of a sudden Lana heard water splashing behind her. When she turned to look she saw the puppy had moved behind her and was standing in the middle of a mud pond about three feet across in size and with his left paw he was splashing the dirty water everywhere. She sighed. She was used to puppy baths, but this one was going to be especially dirty.
Lana laughed as she approached, but the puppy was having so much fun she was having a hard time getting close enough to grab him. She tried going around behind him, but the pup turned and kept splashing. She was getting it in the face, dirty water dripping onto her pretty blue shirt. She tried to wipe the dirty water from her cheeks but she just wasn't fast enough to keep up.
"What a dog!" she thought as the cuteness was beginning to wear off. "What an annoying dog!"
Lana squared her shoulders and made the decision that she wasn't going to put up with any more of this. Then it happened. It happened so quickly that she never saw it coming. Lana's ballet slippered feet slipped on the edge of the mud puddle. The right foot went right and the left foot went left. Then both feet went over Lana's head. When it was over, Lana was face down in the mud puddle with her knees firmly planted in the mud and her rear sticking up in the air. She pulled her head up and looked directly into the big black eyes of a drenched, but happy puppy. Worse was what she spied over the dog's head. Nita, Lana's nosy next-door neighbor was standing on her deck that looked over the fence with her right hand planted over her mouth. Lana knew she was laughing, and Lana also knew that the hand planted over her mouth wouldn't stop her from telling the whole neighborhood what she had just witnessed. Everyone would know by lunch time.
Lana looked back at her new pup and tried to remember just how sweet she had thought he was just a few minutes ago.
Then she remembered. "SIT!" Lana said as firmly as possible without yelling.
The pup didn't hesitate. He looked at Lana and immediately sat down right in the mud puddle.
"Good dog." Lana said as she smiled at him with such love in her heart.
Then, as if the whole world were watching, and as if her neighbor really cared, Lana slowly raised her proud smile up to Nita as if to say, "See. A perfect 10."
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