Doggy Tales with Lovey

Meet Lovey. We found her six years ago on Father's Day. Driving home from town, we came upon a car that was pulled off the side of the road. A little boy was knelt down, doing something, then he turned and got back in the car. It drove off, and a small bundle of black tried hard to run after it.

"They set out a puppy!" I cried to my husband, my heart breaking at the realization. "We have to get it."

"We can't afford another dog," he reasoned, passing by the little thing that now sat by the road watching us with scared, confused eyes.

"I'll take it to the shelter tomorrow. We can't leave it!" I don't know what he read in my eyes, but he didn't object further. He turned the car around and we drove back.

When the puppy saw us stop, it laid down submissively, and waited. I spoke softly as I approached, not wanting to frighten it more than it was already. As I knelt to pick it up, I saw what I already suspected -- she was a female. When I held her in my arms, a warm tongue lavished my face with kisses.

Thoughts raced through my mind: 'We can't afford to get her spayed, shots are too expensive, it costs too much to board her when we have to go away...' But by the time we reached home with her lying quietly in my lap, her expressive brown eyes looking up at me so trustfully, I heard myself say, "I want to keep her. She can be our outside dog."

Surprisingly, my husband said, "Yeah. I think she'll make a good one." When I looked at him, he smiled understandingly.

Lovey has matured into a real lady. She is humble, gentle, well-trained, an excellent watch dog with an incredibly deep, ferocious sounding bark.

My husband says that she was the best Father's Day gift he ever received.

copyright 2009 by L.M. Thomas