The Eternal Now of Teddy

I have to potty. But it’s not time to go out yet. Katy is still looking at her big rectangle light. But the sun is shining in the window, and soon the That’s Not the Doorbell Stupid will ring, and Katy will stop and let me go out. I hope. I look up at her. She’s so great. She’s my best friend in the world. She feeds me, and gives me pets, and brushes me. I take care of her too. I cuddle with her, so she isn’t lonely. I do the protect when I think I hear bad guys trying to sneak in. We’re a family.

I look at the That’s Not the Doorbell Stupid hoping it will go off soon. I don’t know why it goes off. I like it when the doorbell goes off, it means someone has come to see us, or give us a box that might have treats or toys. But the That’s Not the Doorbell Stupid just sits on the fireplace and makes noise whenever it wants. There it goes! Yay! I wag my tail and look up at Katy. She stretches and looks at it. Then she closes the big rectangle light and picks up her little rectangle light and looks at it. I don’t like the little rectangle, she pays too much attention to it, and forgets me and that makes me sad.

Oh! She’s getting up. I stand up and wag my tail with joy. She heads to the kitchen and sets down her old coffee (stinky stuff) and opens the door where she keeps the new coffee. She looks at it and says something, but the magic word in what she says is “Walkies!” Oh joy! I love walkies, except when the sun is too hot. Then it’s no fun, I just want to go sleepies, but today is perfect!

She’s getting the big bag. That means we are going to the shop! I love the shop, so many good smells come out the door. I wish I could go in, just once. So many good smells; cheese, all the meats, chips, popcorn, all so delicious. But I’m not allowed inside Katy says. It’s ok, though, Mister Cooper lives there and sometimes comes out and brings me a treat. Once when Katy wasn’t looking, he even gave me bacon! I like Mister Cooper, he’s smells of all the wonderful things in the shop, and smoke, and niceness. Some people don’t smell of niceness, but he does. She hooks up the leash to my collar and says, “Let’s go Teddy.”

I don’t know why I need the leash. I’d never leave Katy, except to chase a squirrel, but I’d come right back. Really. We head down the front walk. It’s a beautiful day, I can smell all the plants starting to grow back from winter, they are bright and varied in my nose. So nice after the cold winter. For a moment we stop on the sidewalk and I relieve myself on the grass. Katy is messing with her bag, and I hope that means we are going to get into the Bye-Bye thing. I love the Bye-Bye thing. We always go someplace fun. Well, except the vet. I don’t always like it there. But no, she’s just messing with her little rectangle again. After a while she puts it in her pocket, then we are off!

Down the street we go. Oh, so many smells! I stop and sniff the signpost. I can tell some of my friends have been there lately so I leave them a message. Katy pulls me along. I catch something else. I put my head down and sniff the ground. A cat has been here. I like cats, but they don’t always like me. Katy says I’m big and scare them. I don’t mean too. The sun is warm, but not hot. I see birds, I like the birds too.

Suddenly a movement catches my eye, a little poof of white flickering. Butterfly! Butterfly! I lunge after it, and Katy lets my leash out as she laughs as I chase the little flickering light, but it darts away, and I can’t smell them very well, so it’s gone. But it is so fun to chase them, and it makes Katy happy. We ‘round the corner and head toward the store. I can smell the park. Lots of friends have been there. As we get closer, I can hear the kids. I love kids. They give lots of pets, and they always smell of good thing to eat, and their little faces are just the right height for me to lick, so sometimes I can taste those goodies I’m not supposed to have. But today we don’t stop at the park, we keep going.

We get to the big road where there are lots of Bye-Bye things. This part is a little scary because it’s noisy. But it’s also exciting too. There are taller buildings here, and no grass. The trees are small and have a fence around them. It doesn’t bother me; I can still mark them just fine.

Suddenly I catch a smell I don’t like. Mark. He smells of smoke, some sort perfume, and wrongness. There he is, I hope Katy doesn’t see him. But she does and stops to talk with him. I don’t like this. I can smell Katy getting excited, she laughs as she talks to him. I look back and forth at them, but Mark ignores me. I don’t think Katy can smell his wrongness. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind that Katy has a man- friend. I liked her last one, Doug, even if she did make me sleep on the floor while he was there. Doug was nice to me and didn’t smell wrong. I hope she doesn’t want Mark as her next man-friend.

Katy stops talking and we resume our walk. Good. We get to the store, and Katy clips my leash to the metal thing out front. The she tells me to stay, which is always funny because I’m clipped to the metal thing, so where can I go? But then she goes inside, and I sniff deeply to catch the scents from inside. Ecstasy! I smell the meats, and the cheeses, and all the wonderful smells. It makes me hungry. Well hungrier. I’m always hungry. Several people come in and out, and I get to smell again! My tail wags as they pass and say things like hello, and good boy to me.

Then out comes Katy with Mister Cooper. They are talking and smiling. Mister Cooper bends down and says, “Hi Teddy,” and rubs my head. He smells of all the wonderful things inside. I can smell the treat in his left hand, but I act surprised when he gives it to me. It is a delicious biscuit. Chicken taste and crunchy like bone. I chomp it down, my tail wagging while the humans talk. They do that a lot. Then Mister Cooper rubs my head again and says, “Bye Teddy” and goes back inside. I sniff Katy’s bag as she unclips me from the metal thing. Ham, eggs, coffee, and biscuits! Yay! I walk happily next to her bag as we turn for home.