Mitzy Angel Mitzy Brave

Ow there it is again. It’s always there these days, the pain. I don’t even feel like moving. I used to run and play and enjoy my people. Now I just lay here. Wasn’t I just asleep? That is when I don’t hurt, and I dream, and run and play and chase rabbits.

“Mooooaann”, “wimper wimper”. I just did it again, made the sounds without even thinking. It just happens. My people are still asleep. It feels too early for me to wake up but here I am. Laying on my bed, feeling the pain. And, to make matters worse, I have to “tee tee”. That’s what my people call it. They say “Go tee tee!” They are all cheerful and happy, and that’s my clue to go outside. But these days I don’t even want to go outside anymore. It hurts too much to get up and move. I can tell I have already leaked a little tee tee on my bed. I’ve been doing that more often lately, more often like every time I lay down.

“Crinkle crinkle snap!”

What was that? It came from the kitchen. Oh, my goodness, my people are not all asleep! One of my people is doing the thing again that gives them the people treats. Oh how I love people treats. I hear that sound and I go running for people treats. 

But not today. Today I don’t feel like moving. 

“Tippy tappy tippy tappy scratch scratch”. What was that? I peak my head around and raise my ears up to hear better. But I already know. It’s my best friend, Baxter. He loves me, he licks my eyes and my nose for me sometimes. He is such a little ball of energy. I have known him all my life, good buddy. But he is getting old too and moving less, like me, but not as bad as me I think.

“Harumph ahrump words words words”. I hear my people in there talking. I know it isn’t the big nice one. She always feeds me twice a day. She loves me. The sounds are coming from the other big one, he always give me treats real sneaky-like, so I have to be alert and stay close to him.

But I don’t feel like getting up. Maybe he will be extra nice and bring a treat over to me so I don’t have to go over to him?

“Smack smack chomp chomp”. Ohhwww it’s Baxter and I hear him, he’s getting all the “treat treat”, that’s what my people call the good stuff. Ohhh, he’s going to get all of it! He is getting all the treat treat and all the love and having all the fun!! I have to move, I have to get up. I don’t want to move but I really really don’t want Baxter to get all the treat treat and me get none!

Turn, tump, groan, pull, lift. I finally get my body moving toward the kitchen. Ohhh I hope there is still some treat treat for me. I love treat treat. Baxter is gonna eat all the treat treat! I run (walk less slow than usual) into the kitchen with my big galuted body and bump Baxter out of the way, putting myself between him and the big person, the treat-giver. Now is the time I look the most precious, I know, because he always gives me treat treat when I make the precious treat treat gimme gimme face. 

Here it comes, he tossed it in the air! I can see it, like it is moving in slow motion. I open my big jowls with a “smack”, try to lift up off my front feet (about two centimeters it turns out), and chomp down where I know the treat treat will be in the air.

But I don’t taste treat treat! I don’t see treat treat or feel treat treat in my mouth. I hear Baxter scurrying around on the floor beside me. Ohh, no, his tongue is slopping the ground, and he is sniffing fast. Did he get my treat? I feel the big person’s hand on my head. He is petting me. I love to be petted. But no! Don’t try and pet me right now, gimme treat treat! Ohh, he does give me treat treat! He put one right in my mouth, and Baxter had no way to steal it. I love my people. Haha you don’t get this treat treat Baxter! But wait, what if Baxter got more than me? Was his piece bigger than mine? Did we miss a crumb of treat treat on the floor? We are both sniffing around frantically now. And then I feel the pain again. There for a minute I had forgotten about it. I think I will just sit down and rest. 

I mosey to a soft place on the floor. Yes, I have been here before, I know, because I can smell my tee tee. So can Baxter, he knows this is my spot, not his.

I think I will sleep now. I sleep all the time. All day long I sleep, but at night I have to wake up and cry and scratch the door so the big nice lady person will let me out and let me go tee tee. But right now I am just tired. I am sleepy, but not asleep. I am sleeping with one eye open. I can see all my people now. They are doing the thing in the first part of the day. They use the words and make the clinking sounds with their hands. Then they all walk out the door. Big treat-giver, nice big lady. Big girl that used to let me sleep with her when I could still walk up stairs. And the other big girl who used to take me on walks before I started hurting so bad. And the big boy. I love him too but he makes that sound that scares Baxter. On that big table that he bangs on with his fingers and also with the foot petals that he uses to make all the different sounds. Every time he plays it, Baxter yells and cries. And then I have to cry too. And we are crying or else we are singing. Singing along with the big boy at the big sound table. I kinda like it. Baxter, I don’t know if he loves it or hates it but he always joins in every time the sounds come from that table box thing that the boy plays on. 

And they are all gone. And it is just me and Baxter, left here to guard the house. I will let Baxter handle it again. He is protective. I want to just sleep. I will rest….

“Crump churn churn”. Ohh I know that sound. Am I awake already, have I been asleep all day? I know that sound is coming from where the big people put their temporary home on wheels. That is a loud place. The light comes in from outside, and the people are moving into the big room. I used to run fast and try and get away when that door would open, but today I will just rest, and wait for my people to come in. 

They are all here! So weird because usually not all of them are here like this. And they are all talking sweet to me. They love me so much. “Angel”, I know that word, and the big treat giver is saying that to me. “Mitzy Angel”, that’s my name. Also my name is “Mitzy Brave” and “Mitzy Courageous”. They are calling me by all of my names now. And they are taking me in the big room on wheels and we are driving away! I am kinda scared but really just happy to be with all my people. And Baxter is with us too! The whole family together. Some of the big people are doing that thing with their eyes where they make the moisture. I used to like to lick their faces and taste the salty but not today, today I am just happy to be in the big moving room with all my people and my best friend. I wonder where we are going? The last time we went somewhere together we were in the moving room for-ev-er! Then we got out in the cold air and there was white cold all over the ground and it tasted like my drink drink. That was a fun time, that was so long ago. 

We are stopped beside a building and someone in the building is talking to my big treat giver person. He hands something through the window to my person. Treat giver has a bag of treats! I can smell it, I am perking up! Gimme treat?!?!

And my three big people in the back of the rolling room are all petting me and the next thing I know, I get a whole big person treat. “Mmmmm Big Mac”, they keep saying. I agree, mmmm Big Mac GOOD. Chomp chomp and it is all mine and none for Baxter hahaha, I get ALL the love today! I am so happy.

Now everybody is getting out. What’s going on? Are we going to have all the fun again? I don’t feel like getting out, everything is so sore. It takes two of my big people to lift me up and carry me inside. 

Hey I remember this place! This is where they were kinda nice but also kinda scary and that one time I remember getting poked with something sharp! I hope they are nice today. They should be, I have all my people here with me, and my best friend. 

Now we are going back into one of the back rooms. My people are all with me and their eyes are all doing the wet thing and they are petting me and loving me and calling me all of my sweet names. I love my people.

And one of the scary people, the one in white, she is coming over with something she puts in front of my face. It smells weird. Oh but my people are here. They love me. I am happy. This is scary, but they love me. I love my family. I am getting so sleepy again. It’s not time for sleep but I have to rest. My eyes are closed. I hear my people. My people are here. I feel good. I love my…….