The Dog House

“Mollie, STAY!!” 

Mollie froze in front of the living room door trying to decide if she wanted to listen to her owner or not. She knew what she should do, go through the conservatory door and lay in her cosy dog bed, but she didn’t want to. It was her beloved Olivia’s 8th birthday party and she wanted to celebrate with everyone else who wasn’t furry and cute. She was sure that’s what Olivia wanted as well based on her face as she followed her Mum into the living room. Mollie needed a plan to unfreeze from her current position in the hallway and get into the party. 

Standing there hatching a plan Mollie had a hazy flashback to when she first met Olivia. Having spent the previous six months constantly being returned to the dogs home by unhappy owners, Mollie had earned a reputation as a troublemaker. It’s not like she went out of her way to cause a nuisance, it’s just she wanted to have fun and thought her owners would enjoy that too. Her top three “incidents” were as follows: 

1. Mollie’s first set of owners lived on the beach and one morning she thought they would love to play a game of Treasure Hunt. But when it’s a Monday morning, only twenty minutes before they have to leave on the school run and the treasure is the car keys buried deep in the sand, it is destined to end badly. 
2. A few months later Mollie went to the home of a lovely old couple and initially it went well. However, two weeks on and she wanted to have a run around the park to get rid of some built up energy. The problem was poor old Ted, 71 at the time, hadn’t let Mollie off the lead yet so she dragged him along the floor for nearly half a mile. Thank goodness he wore four layers to keep warm. Only two layers remained in tact by the time he got home. 
3. Finally, just before Mollie met Olivia she went to a lovely couple who lived on a canal boat. They travelled all over the country using the wonderful waterways and she loved it. However, there was something Mollie loved even more than living on a canal boat… chasing ducks, geese and swans. One morning before her owners were awake Mollie had jumped off the moored boat and chased every single duck, swan and goose she could find. These distressed birds all decided enough was enough and flew over and landed on the canal boat covering it from stern to starboard in bird poop. The owners woke up to the smell of this stinky avian surprise as well as the honk from a grumpy goose on their bed. At this point Mollie could hear the screams as she was hiding under her dog blanket hoping it was all a dream. 

Mollie knew she really needed to impress her next potential owners or she’d be stuck in this Groundhog Dog Day scenario forever. She looked at herself in the water of her dog bowl, her cheeky Border Collie black and white complexion looked pretty spectacular in the ripples reflecting back at her. She flattened some of the more wayward tufts and pulled out some of the loose fluff to finish off her look. She was ready to strut her stuff on the dog walk. 

As soon as Olivia’s family saw Mollie they fell in love with her. They liked how much character she had and ignored all the words from the dogs home like “handful”, “dog house” and “pillock”. This was their dog and knew what Mollie needed was a family to love her for who she was and not what the pet society expected her to be. At least that’s they thought initially… 

Three months later and Mollie and Olivia were inseparable. They woke up together, walked to school together, ate breakfast and dinner together, sometimes both sat at the dining table. Olivia with a bowl of cornflakes and Mollie with a bowl of dog food with a Bonio on the side. The smell combinations wafting around that dining table were difficult to forget mainly because they’re lodged at the back of your throat the rest of the day. 

This bond meant Mollie got away with anything. Whether it’s ripping down the curtains, jumping on the beds with muddy paws, accidentally letting off the hand break and sending the car drift down the drive only just avoiding a crash or licking all the toothbrushes in the house, Mollie escaped all punishment. She just had to do her “I’m sorry!” puppy dog eyes, and Olivia’s heart melted and convinced her parents to drop the charges with the pooch police. That is until now…  

Olivia’s parents had secretly made a promise to each other, if Mollie has one more incident then they will have to ignore their daughter and do something serious about it. Olivia’s Dad’s man drawer was full of leaflets about a canine boot camp known as “The Dog House” which they were seriously considering. 

Mollie, still frozen outside the living room continued to consider her options, unaware her future hung in the balance and would be based on what happened in the next two minutes. Her furry head looked at the living room door then the conservatory and back again and so on as if she was watching a tennis match between two large rectangles. Mollie’s tail wagged throughout trying to cool her brain that had started to melt. Her body turned towards the conservatory and one paw moved towards the door, suddenly a sound came from the living room that ruined everything. 

“Happy Birthday To You!”  

Mollie’s ears shot up, it was that song again! The one that they sing just before they eat… CAKE!!! Her whole body span round away from the conservatory door and tip toed towards the living room trying to peek through the gap to see what was happening. Mollie saw everyone crowding around the dining table and a huge cake with candles was being placed down in front of Olivia big smiley face. 

“Happy Birthday Dear Olivia!”  

Her best friend looked so happy, thought Mollie. She’d want her trusty pet by her side to bark along to the song and have a slice or two of that cake that smelt delicious even from the hallway. 

“Happy Birthday To Youuu!!”  

What if Mollie gave Olivia a birthday surprise? Something she’ll find hilarious and never forget? Mollie should have thought it through but she didn’t like doing that and, more importantly, she didn’t have time! The song was nearly finished. The first idea is usually the best one, right? And this was a winner! Strutting up to the living room door Mollie put one paw up ready to burst in. 

“Make a Wish!”  

Mollie butted open the door with her fuzzy head, sprinted into the living room and went under the legs of one relative, then another until she was at the front of the crowd next to the dining table. Leaping up onto a chair Mollie saw the cake and then Olivia. Time then slowed down for everyone. Mollie leapt across the dining table, through the middle of the cake and into the lap of her beloved Olivia sending hundreds of tiny pieces of cake to explode in every possible direction spraying people, walls, light fittings and furniture. 

Mollie lay in the arms of Olivia wagging her tail, smiling up at her as she licked exploded cake from her face knowing she’d given her the best birthday surprise ever. At this point Mollie noticed that Olivia wasn’t laughing along with her at all, neither was anyone else. Olivia with tears in her eyes, dropped Mollie onto the floor and fled the living room, stomping up the stairs to her bedroom. Her tail stopped wagging, Mollie had got it all wrong again, determined to make it up to her best friend she began to race towards Olivia’s bedroom. However, before she could leave the living room, she heard the click of a lead on her collar and the sinking feeling that another Groundhog Dog Day was on the cards.