A dogged trip to the park
Lotus was a beautiful, energetic dog. She felt lonely and abandoned, though, lately. A new person had come into her life and the life of her owners, and she wasn't sure she liked him. He got all the attention that she used to enjoy. Her lady owner was constantly fussing with him--feeding him, holding him, changing the cloth wrap on his butt. It just wasn't fair. What happened to the dog? Why doesn't she get time. Sure, there were the odd moments when she would get a little head pat, or the lady owner would wipe the grit from her eyes. It just wasn't the same.
Before the little guy arrived, the lady owner would walk Lotus every day...even really cold days. Of course, as she got bigger, the walks got a lot slower. But, how was Lotus to know what was in store? She only knew she was getting a lot of great attention and exercise. Now, she was fortunate to be able to go outside for a quick bathroom trip once a day. The man owner would let her run out and do her business in the morning, and she was always let out at night. But, every day Lotus started with bright shining hope that this day would be different. She was always very excited when her owners would get out of the bed at the same time. She danced, and jumped, and shook her tail, making a cold breeze flow around her. In time, though, she realized they were not going to take her on that walk, or play fetch, or even wrestle a little. One pat from the lady owner after she crawled back into bed, and that was that for a while.
Today was different, though. Today Lotus got to go somewhere. It was wonderful! (Even if the little boy child had to go with her.) Lotus didn't especially like riding in the car, but she did like getting to where they were going...usually. She really didn't know where they were going today, only that it involved the nauseating trip. It seemed like forever she was so anxious. Where were they going? What were they going to do? Would there be a ball involved? Lotus panted in the front passenger seat next to her lady owner and tried to be patient.
Finally, they pulled up to a space next to the dog park. This was even better! Lotus didn't need to be leashed, and she loved it! The lady owner put the boy child in a big sash, and they passed through the gates of Nirvana...or at least as close as a dog can get. The owner took off her halter and said, "Run! Find a ball! Let's have fun today." It was wonderful. A black afghan hound came running up to Lotus and started to greet her. It had been so long since she had seen another dog, she couldn't quite remember the protocol--crotch sniff, butt sniff, wrestle. It wasn't as successful as the afghan hoped, and he soon wandered off to be entertained by other canine companions.
The lady owner walked with her beautiful golden to a nearby bench. Lotus jumped up on the bench, forgetting her manners. It took a few tries, but the lady owner eventually succeeded in convincing her dog that the bench was not for four legged creatures. It was a glorious hour, though. They played ball, walked the path, and had a sandy, wet, muddy, fun time. As the wind picked up, the baby began to cry, and too soon, it was all over. Time to head home for the canine creature and her loving owner. Until the next time.
