Puppy Love

So Will has been very busy the past week preparing for the arrival of the new puppy. (Read about it here if you haven't already! http://willsententia.wordpress.com/) We have negotiated some house rules. He has researched and purchased the best of everything for the new pooch; everything from a food and water bowl, the food to put in it, a gate to keep the pup only in the family room, an outdoor kennel, and so on.

The TV in the family room is rather old and the picture has become somewhat fuzzy with a pronounced high pitched whine. Imagine my surprise when Will mentioned that he's thinking we probably need to get a new TV because that noise will probably hurt the puppy's ears. Is this going to be a spoiled dog or what? A new TV, just to protect the little guy's ears. Isn't that the sweetest thing you've ever heard? So thoughtful.

Tonight at dinner Will and Nick declared I needed to be educated on some puppy etiquette. (Say "Sit", not "Sit down." or Hey, go sit down." or "You go sit down now." etc.) Nick had the nerve to tell me I needed to stay away from it. I would never deliberately be cruel to an animal, but I got an undeserved reputation for cruelty years ago that haunts me to this day, much to my dismay. Two small incidents led to this.

One incident was witnessed by my three boys, elementary and middle school age at the time. They were watching TV in the family room and got to arguing loudly about something. Their unacceptable conduct could not be ignored, and I took the remote and was standing in front of the TV speaking to them gently and quietly about their rude obnoxious behavior while perhaps gesturing forcefully with the remote. Since remotes regularly disappeared here during that time period and their father hated searching for them down the couch cushions, he had tied some string around it and left a long braided strand attached to make lost remote recovery less stressful.

As I somewhat emotionally lectured my children with this remote in my hand, I was suddenly attacked by our white cat, Dats. With great speed she ran at me, leaping high in the air toward my chest. Startled, I instinctively reacted, leaping back with a slight outward movement of my leg which connected with the cat as she returned toward the floor. The poor cat went flying across the room, landing against the kitchen cabinets, finding her feet and fleeing as fast and far away as she could.

The boys indignantly pointed out that the cat was just playing with the rapidly moving string, which it had been watching with fascination unnoticed by me. Banding together in unity, their differences forgotten, they berated me for kicking their cat. Shaken, I felt that the cat had attacked me in defense of the disagreeable boys who loved it. I'm still not sure. I do know that in spite of their indignation, the boys got to laughing and my passionate words meant to inspire them to kindness and compassion were completely ineffective.

Add to that incident a tiny yappy dog running around too close to my ankles for too long at a trail head many years ago, causing me to eventually find it necessary to gently encourage it to move away with a slight lift of my foot, not realizing how extremely light this little piece of fluff was....well, I was shocked at how far it flew after the gentle foot motion...unfortunately Will witnessed this and I have never lived it down.

I am sure the new puppy and I will live together in peace and harmony as long as it is taught not to leap at me and I am never expected to clean up after it. Will will be an excellent dog owner.

(Note: If any of my family members tries to tell you an alternate version of the above events, don't believe them. They exaggerate.)