Dog-gone Wild

A dog is considered “man’s best friend.” Dogs can be handfuls, but they are the most loving animals and become a part of our families. It is truly amazing watching a sweet little puppy grow into a confident, loving dog. Dogs have a way of comforting us and showing us the meaning of what life is really about. Dogs teach us to be present in the moment and make everyday count. No matter how much of a handful a dog can be, they are always there to make our lives more joyful. 

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The smell of steamy hot coffee wafted through the air of Gina’s two-story yellow house. It was a house she had always dreamed of with two porches and a beautiful backyard veranda. Gina was a beautiful woman with long black hair and big brown eyes. On day 17 of quarantine, she wore grey gym shirts and a sweatshirt sporting the “Nike” logo. She had a four year old puppy who was quite the handful.    Her puppy’s name was Stella and she was the most beautiful dog anyone had ever laid eyes on. She had a beautiful, black fur coat and big brown eyes. Her ears flapped over and her long tail wagged playfully when Gina would come home from work. Before the quarantine, Stella would wait all day for Gina to come home. Stella had a sixth sense and right when 5:15 pm came along, she would wait at the top of the stairs, waiting for Gina to come home. She sat there, wagging her tail and howling. At the sight of Gina, she would run down the stairs and barrel into her. Gina didn’t mind the bruised knees and playful biting Stella would inflict upon her. Stella was Gina’s baby and she knew she would treasure these memories until the end of time. As she brewed her steaming hot cup of coffee, she sat back and thought about sweet memories with her baby Stella. 

It was a beautiful summer morning in June. Gina was sitting in the kitchen with sweet Stella. Gina’s sweet puppy stared up at her, put her paw on her knee and howled. “Come on, one more minute?” she exclaimed as she put the finishing touches on her last paragraph. Gina had gone through a divorce in the past and was trying to write a self-help book about going through the process. She was excited about finishing the book and finally getting it published. The chapter in her life was coming to an end and a new beginning was right around the corner. Gina sighed and slowly got up and made her way to the stove to make Stella some breakfast. “What’s it going to be today? Scrambled or sunny-side up?” Stella stuck her snout in the fridge in order to smell the divine food. She smelled turkey, chicken and last night’s ham dinner. Gina gave her a turkey slice with some cheese and placed it in her dog bowl. Stella gobbled it down hastily. “Alright, now to get some work done,” Gina exclaimed to herself. She brewed her last cup of coffee and sat back down at the kitchen table to work on the last pages of her book. Stella sauntered over to where Gina sat and laid down under her chair. Stella loved being anywhere with Gina. She felt protected and safe next to Gina and slept. An hour later, Stella pawed at her legs. Gina was beside herself. She wondered, “what could it be now?” Things were not this hard when she was at the office. Stella turned her head towards the door outside. It was a typical Stella look when she had to go out to go the bathroom. Her head would be cocked and her eyes were pleading. “Ugh, alright…we’ll go out, but after that I am sitting down and finishing this book. I don’t want anymore disruptions!”

 Gina took the harness off the closet hook door and slipped it over Stella’s head. She then attached the leash and set off to walk. She stepped outside the door and chaos ensued. A chihuahua puppy was a foot from the door. Stella angrily barked at the little dog, showing her teeth in the process. Stella kicked up her legs in anger. With every kick she let out a growl. Gina pulled Stella back with the leash, apologizing to Ms. Miller for the aggressiveness Stella was exhibiting. Gina picked her up and carried her back in the house, scolding her for her bad behavior. “Stella…I love you, but you have to learn to behave. Ugh…why didn’t I train you when you were a puppy!” Gina placed Stella down, looking through the peephole to make sure no other dogs were around the yard. She patiently waited and as Stella howled and moaned, Gina crossed her arms and exclaimed, “well you should have gone out there when you had the chance.” She looked through the peephole one more time and, once the coast was clear, brought Stella out one more time. Stella went out, did her business and came back into the cozy house. Gina went back to her chair at the kitchen table and once again decided to finish her book.  “I wonder if I’ll ever get this done! Hopefully I’ll finish by next year,” she exclaimed sarcastically.  She opened her laptop and began to write and Stella once again sat under her legs. In no less than half an hour Stella was whining. Stella ran over towards the back door. Gina grudgingly got up and opened the door. Gina took her outside to the backyard and let her loose to play. The backyard was beautiful with a white picket fence surrounding the property. Stella ran around the yard. She was like a little bunny rabbit running and jumping. Her floppy ears were bouncing up and down behind her and the wind rustled her fur. To Gina’s dismay, Stella came in with a shoe in her mouth. Gina realized she must have jumped the fence! What have you done now!” she exclaimed. 

The great chase had begun. Gina tried to outsmart Stella by going right. Suddenly, Stella ran left, fooling her. Stella ran up the stairs, down the hall, in the bedrooms, back down the stairs and finally going into a tiny corner of the living room. Gina ran all over the house trying to catch up to the little furball. Finally, Gina had Stella cornered. With her hands on her legs, she held a biscuit treat in her hand, trying to lure Stella into her trap. Stella looked up at her mama with those great big beautiful eyes. She wanted that biscuit treat so bad. She was going to surrender the game just to have a taste of that delicious treat. She dropped the shoe.  

Gina went out and looked for the neighbor with the missing shoe. As she went out to her backyard, she found piles and piles of different sized shoes. All kinds of shoes littered the yard.  Kids shoes, adult shoes, baby shoes…all over the place! Gina quickly picked them up and went door to door, looking for the owners of the shoes. She found a little girl with missing shoes, a baby boy and two adults whom left their shoes on their porch. Stella must have run around the neighborhood and stolen every pair of shoes left on the neighbors porches. Gina tirelessly found the neighbors with missing shoes and returned home. She slammed the door behind her and sank to the floor. She put her head on her knees and wept. Stella had tired her out until the brink of exhaustion. 

Stella ran over to Gina and kissed her all over her face. She then placed a paw on her knee, a signature Stella move. Gina could not help but laugh. She was exhausted, but having such a sweet, loving dog made this all worth it. Yes, she was a handful. Most dogs are at the age of four. Stella was unique and loving and always looked out for Gina. As Gina scratched her head, she looked over to the kitchen table. The laptop still sat there and the chair was still bare. She let out a laugh so loud it startled Stella. She laughed because this book seemed to never get finished. There was always a hurdle…another obstacle to overcome with this dog. She laughed out loud and said, “maybe someday I’ll finish this book!” Then Gina gave her a big ol’ belly rub and Stella was the happiest puppy in this moment. There was no denying that both their lives were more joyful because they had each other.