Hello my friends:
I have to admit the heat has gotten to me!
I never was good in the heat (being a fair-haired, princess-like, temperamental pooch—I prefer snow for fun). However, I beg Ma’m to take me out on hot days and she is very circumspect about it. A short visit to the park and all the water she can carry in our thermos bottles and my bowl in our insulated lunch bag and we trek to a nearby place only to stay no more than 20 minutes—and that’s in the cool of either the morning or evening! For such a short time, we still look like we’re taking on the Appalachian Trail!
Princess that I am, I also have a kiddie pool which Ma’m fills slightly to get my paws cooled off at least. At times she gets me to sit in it while she splashes cool water over me. Oh, the life of a regal pet and security dog! Please don’t forget my security responsibilities.
Ma’m and I do her errands together and I love this. One day we were mailing something at the post office mail box when a Boston Terrier circled us barking and trying to terrorize me, of course. I was in the car barking back at him but I noticed that Ma’m was upset with me.
“Hopscoth, we have to help that little guy. He has a collar on and is apparently lost. He must have skipped away from his owner and ended up here.”
She reaches inside the car for the doggie treats we carry to lure dogs and hold them until she calls the animal warden on her cell phone. This is always an explosive event, mostly because I think it is dangerous and Ma’m doesn’t. She doesn’t know dogs like I do. Especially an obviously spoiled one like this little Bostie!
Eventually, the animal warden comes and by the looks of him he is ‘running- impaired’ shall we say?! With quite a bit of heft to carry, he cannot grab the Bostie who has lurched free of Ma’m when he saw the warden. Ah, freedom! The great escape artist makes the warden impatient who gruffly tells Ma’m to get in the car, shut me up, and go home!! (Sort of like that but not his exact words.) Obviously, the Bostie thought the warden’s net was a weapon. He was not about to be captured. My bark became conciliatory. Now I was cheering the Bostie on.
“You go boy! Challenge the law! Dogs rule! Even Boston Terriers!”
Later that night Ma’m sat me down again.
“Hopscotch, never, ever resist helping another being who is lost. Sometimes, we don’t even know who is lost. We look at people and animals and think they’re fine—maybe just a little shy or lonely. And we back away. So, it’s best to have appositive attitude toward everyone we meet. Let them know you, at least, are caring and welcoming. As scripture says, “Do not neglect to show hospitalithy, for by that means, some have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews, 13:2.)
“Even Bosties?”
“Even Boston Terriers, like the cute little guy who was lost today.”
Secretly, however, I just can’t picture that Bostie as an angel!