Subway Canine

Thanks again to Paul Myers for his inspirational photo!

I could feel the tension in the crowd around me. It was Monday morning and nobody wanted to be there on that subway platform. We were all heading to jobs we hated. 

Imagine if we could all play "musical jobs", where one week each month people could rotate into different positions. We would all find the perfect fit. For now, we were all misfits. I heard the train approaching and glanced over to see the headlight getting closer. The tension grew thicker if that were even possible.

The train stopped and one by one people stepped into the car in front of me. Magically, the tension began to dissipate, body language relaxed. I could hear laughter. As I got closer to the door the energy became joyful. What the heck was going on?

I stepped into the train car and was greeted by an adorable sight. A small dog on a leash was laying spread out on the floor acknowledging each passenger as they came aboard. It's head tilted in curiosity and every time someone chuckled it would raise its ears. 

I smiled and then giggled happily, remembering the old saying, "Dog is God spelled backward."

---

Have a great week!

Puppy Beach Day

A day at the beach with our dog, Izzy.

It was a perfect day at the beach. The sky was clear blue. The sun was shining bright, but it wasn't too hot. A gentle breeze was blowing. 

Izzy didn't want to run in the sand; she was content to curl up in her mommy's lap. She watched her human friends play in the water. They shrieked and laughed. 

There were a lot of birds out today. She had never seen so many birds in one place. There were big ones, small ones, medium ones. They all concentrated on an area a few feet away from the people. 

At least they weren't flying over the people. That could get messy.

Izzy sat up straight, her ears twitching. What was that poking out of the water near the humans? There were two of them, little shiny black heads with whiskers, bobbing up and down in the water. She hadn't seen those creatures before.

"Look at the seals!" Mommy cried out. "What are they doing over here?"

"There must be a bunch of little fish nearby," Daddy replied. "They're probably following the birds."

Izzy lay back down. If her parents weren't worried, she shouldn't be either.

"Whoa! Dolphins!" Mommy squealed. "I've never seen dolphins here before!" She pointed at the curving back fins going in and out of the water. Izzy craned her neck to follow the movements.

"I saw one jump all the way out, when I came down the hill earlier," Daddy said.

"Wow! Luck-y! I always miss the good stuff." Mommy pouted. "Let's go get a closer look. Maybe they'll jump again." Mommy lifted Izzy off her lap and set her on the ground. 

The sand was hot, but she, Mommy and Daddy walked toward the water. It was cooler here. 

Oh, no! The water was rushing right toward them! Izzy ran back toward the hot sand, as far as her leash would allow, with Mommy and Daddy right behind her. They were laughing! Why weren't they scared? They could've drowned.

Izzy looked around and saw children running from the rushing water, then running back when the water receded. They kept playing this chasing game over and over.  Izzy decided to try again. She went back to the water's edge and waited. As the water rose and got closer she scooted away, again with Mommy and Daddy laughing like crazy people. Izzy wagged her tail. She liked seeing her family so happy. They walked along the water, chasing waves for hours.

Izzy liked the beach.

Leaf Pile

This video made me so happy today.
Here is my haiku dedicated to this carefree dog.

jump, romp, crunch, crunch, crunch
circle for another run
flying leap, heaven

Puppy Bath Night

My daughter and I washed our dog tonight. She is the most mellow little chihuahua I have ever seen. Here is how bath night usually goes...

"Hey, Izzy! It's time for a bath!" I call out, making it sound like the greatest thing since turkey jerky.
Izzy looks up at me in wonder. "Bath time? Free massage and pampering for the whole evening," I imagine her telling me telepathically.
"Yeah, let's go!"
"Okay, Mommy!"

She follows me into the bathroom and I lift her into the bathtub. I turn on the water and check the temperature to make sure it is just right. She likes it very warm. I run the sprayer all over her and she stands still for me. She has never once tried to jump out of the tub and run away. I find that surprising, since I've always heard dogs hate baths. (Even if she wanted to run away, I could totally catch her. She weighs next to nothing.)

During the shower bath, I slather her in flowery dog shampoo and give her a puppy massage. I try to discourage her from licking the soap, but she doesn't listen. It's non-toxic, so I don't worry too much. I rinse her off pretty quickly, anyway.

My daughter and I towel dry her, one of us at each end, so she doesn't get too cold. Then we wrap her in a big towel. One of us holds her bundled on our lap while she dries.

She is so spoiled.

As I type this, the dog is bundled on my lap, resting her head on my arm.

I love puppy bath night.

Cat and Dog Haiku

A haiku for the cat family that just adopted the puppy.

feline eyes glaring
as canine nose comes too close
a new dynamic

Le Grand Danois, chapter 6

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter 5, here

The sun was just setting over the city. It was the best time to venture through the alleys. Momma kept glancing back to make sure her pups were following. They were still too young to survive on their own.

A loud hiss made her turn back around and stop short. Her puppies bumped into her and stumbled back like a row of dominoes. 

"We don't want any trouble with you, cat," Momma stated calmly.

"Don't worry about my little goddess," a female voice crooned. "She's just very protective of me." A woman in a tight black outfit stepped forward out of the dark doorway. She smiled at Momma and her pups. "I'm not much of a dog person, but you have the most adorable little ones. You should be very proud."

Momma breathed a sigh of relief, realizing this woman was not going to cause them harm. Suddenly one of her babies trotted forward to sniff at the skinny Siamese, who looked shocked. And when the puppy licked her she shrieked and jumped behind the woman in black. She chuckled and picked up her cat. With her other hand she scooped up the tiny dog. "You are a brave one, aren't you." She held the pup out to check its gender. "I think you and my precious will get along just fine. She likes men."

Momma whimpered.

"If that's alright with your mother." She lifted an eyebrow. 

Momma nodded. It was what she had wanted--homes for her babies--and the woman seemed nice enough. She wasn't sure about the evil-looking cat, though. Her boy reached out to the feline and when she licked the puppy's paw, Momma knew all would be well. She gave the woman a grateful nuzzle then continued on down the alley with her brood. When she turned back for a final look they had disappeared.

Well, that was one less to worry about. She just hadn't expected the feeling of deep loss that overcame her. Hopefully it would get easier to let the rest of her children go. 
--

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter 7 here.

Le Grand Danois, chapter 5

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter 4, here

It had been two weeks and the puppies were now walking around and playing. It was time to move on. Their warehouse had been visited a few more times by the evildoers. Momma did not want her babies to be around that unsavory element. 

There had to be a place they could go to get away. She remembered once seeing a big house that sat alone in a park-like area. Maybe she could take them there. It was so peaceful. It was so green. It was so far away. How could she make her puppies travel for miles and miles on their tiny little legs. No, she would have to find them homes here in the city. She took a deep breath and stood. 

"Now children, you will need to stay close to me. It is a very dangerous place, this city."

"What's a city?"
"What's danger us?"
"Are we gonna come back?"

Her children asked their questions, talking over each other. She did her best to answer them.

"The city is where we are, where this building is. There are a lot of other buildings outside very close together, with cars that move quickly between them. Cars can run over you and hurt you. And that's what dangerous is. Now we need to leave."

She lined up her pups like a mini military brigade. She nodded once in salute before turning around to lead them out into the world.
--

Read chapter 6 here.

Le Grand Danois, chapter 4

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter  3 here.

Sunlight came shining down through the upper windows. Momma lifted her face into the beam of warmth. It was morning at last. All was quiet, and thankfully the henchmen had cleaned up the place before they left. The smell of blood had been making her ill, knowing the source. 

Momma needed to get her puppies away from this place, but they were still too small and helpless. She should not have come to this creepy warehouse to whelp, but it was the only building she knew of that had a secret entrance. And nobody would find their hiding place. It was behind a bunch of large crates with only a tiny opening between them. 

Hopefully they could enjoy some peace and quiet for a while.

She felt tiny pushes against her belly. The babies were hungry. She watched as they all squirmed and rooted around for her nipples. As they latched on she sighed and lay her head back down. For now she was content. It was her job to make sure her babies felt the same.
--

Read chapter 5 here.

Le Grand Danois, chapter 3

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter  2 here.

A loud crash woke Momma. She immediately looked to her pups to make sure they were okay. They were whimpering softly and sniffing the air. 

Humans were here. 

She stood up on shaky legs and nosed her babies into a group, so they could warm each other, then went to investigate.

Maniacal laughter reached her ears, making her freeze. She knew that sound. She remembered it very well. This madman liked to torture his victims, usually with knives and razors. She had been unlucky enough to witness this more than once. 

She sneaked a peek around a large crate, in order to see what was happening. A heavily made up woman in skin tight clothing rubbed her body against a creepy looking villain, but he wasn't interested.  He smiled devilishly and signaled to his three henchman. 

Two of the goons turned to their unsuspecting partner. They grabbed the startled man by his arms and dragged him to a chair in front of their boss.

Momma turned away, not wanting to watch the horror. She went back to her pups, knowing the humans wouldn't notice them. She curled her body around her brood and hummed softly to them, trying to block out the man's screams. 

--
This sure got dark fast! Sorry.
--

Read chapter 4 here.

Le Grand Danois, chapter 2

Read Le Grand Danois, chapter 1 here.

Momma lay down with all her pups. They were still blind and too tiny to walk on their own, so she hoped nobody would find her hiding spot in the abandoned warehouse. The layers of newspaper and cardboard she had gathered the week before kept them all fairly warm on the hard concrete floor. 

She glanced down at her babies. They were all sleeping now, having filled their bellies on milk. She hoped they would stay asleep for awhile, since she needed to get her own strength back. She knew it wouldn't be long before unsavory elements would creep into their haven. This part of town saw more than its share of dirty dealings. It was how she had gotten herself into this situation in the first place. She had been passing by when she was attacked by a big menacing guard dog. The men with him thought it was funny when he had pounced on her and grabbed her neck in his jaws. When he was finished with her she watched him strut away, so proud of himself, his humans praising him for his prowess.

Oh well, what's done was done and now she had six little ones to protect. She knew she would have to find them good homes before the dog catcher caught up with them. But that was a worry for tomorrow. She sighed and lay down her head for a much needed nap.

Read chapter 3

Le Grand Danois Haiku

Here is a haiku to go with my story, Le Grand Danois

Little black wet nose
sniffing for his first breakfast
finds a tasty teat

Le Grand Danois, chapter 1

Here is my new story about a Great dane puppy. I am freewriting and then editing. Hope you enjoy it.

He was warm and snugly, floating weightless on a sea of relaxation. Every now and then he would feel a nudge from something next to him, but it wasn't enough to shake his calm. He was just drifting off to sleep again when suddenly he was shoved downward, his head bouncing against something squishy. Then he was being squeezed, being sucked headfirst into a small tunnel. Slowly his whole body was gently crushed and released, crushed and released. 

He was falling fast. Plop! The landing was not hard, but not exactly soft. He tried to get back to his floating sensation, but it just wouldn't come. Wriggling around, he felt his cocoon break open and cold enveloped him. Then something big and rough was rubbing against him over and over, nudging him to a warmer, softer cushion. He couldn't see anything, but he smelled something good and his tummy rumbled. He knew it was food, whatever food was. He nosed a nubbin and had the urge to latch on and suckle. Mm, it was yummy. 

"That's my good puppy."

Momma! She was his momma and he was a good puppy. Peace washed over him again.

Read chapter 2 here.

Le Grand Danois

Le Grand Danois is french for Great Dane, which is known as the gentle giant. I found this out when doing some research for a story.

I love dogs. They are such beautiful creatures with their furry faces and sad eyes. When I see one I always smile. I may not want to go up and pet them, but I can admire them from afar. To those of you who feel the need to run up and cuddle every dog you see, be sure to check with their human guardian first. You never know if that sweet puppy has PTSD or an aversion to men with beards or children with blonde hair.

Safe petting.

No barking or biting.

Read chapter 1 of Le Grand Danois.