Background
This is a series of Pet Stories. There are tales of many of my pets over the years, but the current 'stars' are Bernie and Howie. Their latest adventures will be sprinkled in here and there.
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The days now have a routine. Harley looks forward to hearing footsteps in the morning. He knows that the footsteps bring the face into the kitchen, and after she takes care of feeding those two cats, it will be his special time with her.
Harley thinks of the face as his Mistress, the other person that comes and goes is just the Man. His tail wags and his heart beats faster whenever they are around, especially the Mistress. She is the center of his world. Every morning, she greets him with a beautiful smile to start his day. She lets him stretch fore and aft, and then she picks him up for his morning hug. Life is good.
The kitchen floor is strewn with all kinds of toys. Some are puppy toys - a fuzzy tennis ball, a triple knotted rope for games of tug-of-war, and a squeaking little blob. There are others that Harley stole from the cats; he really loves their catnip mice, and animals with feathers. The unique toys are a 1 liter plastic bottle, an empty roll from paper towels, and a large cap a from drink bottle. Harley's special favorites are the magazines and catalogs that come through the mail slot. It is so much fun to shred them into bits.
Life found a rhythm that works for the Mistress and Harley. She spends at least fifteen minutes playing the game of his choice in the kitchen every few hours, and then she goes back to doing 'Mistress Stuff.' Harley can hear the click-clack of keys coming from the den, or the noisy vacuum, and her soft humming in the background. As long as he can hear her somewhere in the house, he is content to play with his toys or nap on the soft sweatshirt she laid on the floor for him.
Some days, Mistress takes Harley in the car with her. He is secure inside his crate, and she sits the door facing her as they drive, just like the very first day. He watches her face and listens to the music coming from the speakers. Her singing is pleasant to his ears, and he listens to each note. Harmonizing is often on his mind, but that will have to wait until he gets a more grown-up voice. The short adventures in the car are usually to take the Man somewhere. They take him in the morning, and then return there later in the day. Harley surmises that it is the place where he does 'Man Stuff.'
One day, shortly after Harley arrived, the Mistress put him in the car and drove to a different place. She turned the car off, and came around to the other side of the car to take his crate. Once inside this place that smelled like hundreds of cats, dogs, and some strong cleaner, the Mistress spoke to someone at a high desk. A few minutes later, they went into a little room where the Mistress coaxed him out of the crate.
Soft towel beneath his feet, Harley looked into a stranger's face. She had a nice smile and glasses like the Mistress. She was talking in the soothing tone that Harley liked. He wagged his tail and laid his ears back in submission to let this new person know he meant no harm. He was excited and scared all at the same time.
A different man came in. He smelled like other animals, and he too wore glasses. His hands were warm and knowledgeable. He picked Harley up and took him to the scale.
"First, we need to know how much this little guy weighs. I want to make sure to know how much of the shot he needs. Four pounds, 2 ounces - a nice healthy weight for a puppy."
Harley wiggled in the stranger's arms. He liked him, but he didn't like not being able to see the Mistress. Once he was back in the room and on the table next to her arm, he calmed down again. The man picked him up again, poked, prodded, and looked inside his ears.
"He looks great. We will just get him started on his shots, and go from there. We will probably neuter him in about six weeks. Does that sound good?"
Taking Harley back into her arms, the Mistress replied, "Yes, that sounds great." He settles into the crook of her arm and closed his eyes. He is safe and life is good.
Author Notes
Harley was such a great puppy, and he grew into a wonderful little dog. As I revive these stories, I find myself missing him. But, for now, I will share his stories with you and rejoice in the joy he still brings.
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