At home, I watched Dad and Mom walk back and forth with bags and other things in their hands. I could tell they were planning to go somewhere. I hid behind the rocking chair. I thought they forgot me. But then Mom finally picked up my necklace and called my name, and I leaped up from my hiding spot, so happy, oh so happy. I WAS GOING! TOO! THEY WERE TAKING ME!
I was pretty sure we weren't going to the post office, probably to the store in the big town or someplace like that. But boy, it sure did take a long time to get there. And it was so hot. I couldn't believe how hot it was. I needed drink after drink. We got out for lunch at an empty place with lots of birds and truck going by, it was noisy, and I drank so much water. Dad gave me a pinch of his sandwich. It sure did taste great.
We got back in the car and drove for -- I don't know how long. I was really bored. We stopped at four different strange room places. I had trouble finding a comfortable spot to sleep in the first two, but the third one had a hidey-hole under a table by where my mom was snoring. I sure did hear funny things all night long. But each morning THEY TOOK ME WITH THEM, and I was so happy, for a little while, to be back in the car. I drove with them, watching the road. We got out at lots of places with odd smells everywhere. I'm pretty sure there were squirrels at most of them. One time I saw a rabbit and shot after it. I was with my mom that time so I didn't get fussed at for running hard. She laughs when I run. I like that a lot. Another place we stopped had lots of stones standing straight up and Mom and Dad kept stopping to look at each one of them. They seemed lost. And then a little dog with hair in his eyes ran over to play with me. He hiked his leg a few times, and I covered his smell with mine as soon as he moved. It was so much fun. Then we got back in the car and drove and drove and drove.
We finally stopped for a long time at a house with a crabby little dog that wanted all the attention. I let her have it for a while, but then I got tired of no petting for myself and started scooting in between her and the people. I tried very hard to make friends with her, even invited her to play one time, but she just snarled at me, and growled. For some reason she just did not like me. Except when we went for walks. Then we got along pretty well. She was good at synchronizing our steps, and we stayed out on the end of our leashes side by side. It was so much fun taking those walks, there just weren't enough of them.
Oh, one time while we were there, the people loaded us up in cars and we went to this neat park. It was full of squirrels. I kept forgetting I was on a leash and nearly strangled myself a few times going for those squirrels. I could have caught one, too, if it hadn't been for that leash. My dad usually lets me off the leash when we go to neat parks, but for some reason, he didn't do it then. I even missed running after a bunny rabbit that came out in an opening. We kept having to dodge all these tumped over trees, too. I couldn't figure out why those trees were all laying on the ground like they were. It was weird. Oh, I forgot to mention that one night we had all those horrible rumbles that shake the earth. I hate those like anything. They scare me to death. I wished so much to be home under my dad's desk. I couldn't find a good place to hide from those rumbles, and that other dog kept coming to bother me. She didn't even seem to see the flashes of light outside the windows.
After we had been at that house for a long long time, Mom and Dad started carrying bags again and going in and out of doors. I hid in a corner. I hoped hard that they were not giving me away to these new people and their little cranky dog. But then Mom jangled my necklace. I WAS GOING! THEY WERE TAKING ME WITH THEM! I was so excited Mom had to talk deep and loud to remind me to sit. I hate when that happens. I just get carried away sometimes. I did not even need my leash I was so excited to be leaving that place, even though they did have a nice backyard full of fast tree squirrels. I jumped right in the car when Mom opened the door.
We drove and drove again, and I figured out pretty quick that we were not going to the post office or even to the store in the big town. I got really bored. That back seat is not comfortable for sleeping, even though my mom had put a new cushion back there for me. I just couldn't sleep good in the car. Or in the two strange room places where we stopped. One of those places was just loaded with smells. I couldn't find a spot to lay where some other dog at some other time had already lain. I was pretty miserable all night.
Then we got to another place where I thought we were might stay for a while. There was a little curly haired puppy dog there that was just over the moon for me right from the moment I jumped out of the car. She raced around and around me, and I could tell she liked me. I let her smell me in places I usually growl at, but she was so little and cute, and fun to play with at first. We raced around with each other, and when I made my play moves, she just went wild for it. I liked that little brown puppy a lot. At first. After a while, though, she started getting on my nerves, always wanting to play, nipping at me. I finally had to snap at her to put her in her place. She just wouldn't take no for an answer.
This new place was out in the country and the new lady and my mom and dad walked all around with me and the bouncing puppy following. They had a pier with fish in the water, and gosh those fish were big. I wanted to jump in that water after those fish so bad. But then I saw two big dogs across the lake, so I raced over to meet them. My dad was hollering at me, but I just had to go see who they were. As soon as I got close to them, I knew I had made a BIG mistake. For no reason in the world, they both jumped on me and started growling and barking and biting me, and one got me in the water and was trying to grab my neck, and I really thought for a minute I was going to drown, but my dad came shouting and saved me. Except I could tell he was really mad. It scares me when he gets so angry and fusses at me. I didn't know what I had done. It was those mean dogs who had caused all the trouble.
I was covered with mud and my mom was crying. I felt so bad that she was crying. I let my dad wash me with the cold outside water hose. For Mom's sake, I tried to pretend I wasn't hurt so she would stop crying, but I was hurt, a little. I had some sore places around my neck, but Mom didn't feel them. She took off my collar and loved me and spoke something in her sweet babytalk voice, and took me inside to dry me off with a towel. I just love to hear her babytalk. It made me feel so much better. Boy, was I really glad when we left that place.
Then we went back to that old old house in the country where I used to live before Mom came. But I don't like it there anymore. I remember that there are snakes there and I hate snakes so much. I can't even relax when I'm there for worrying about snakes. I got bit once or twice and it hurt worse than anything. I thought I was going to die when I got bit. I stayed under the table the whole time. It seemed like we were there forever. The only fun time was when Mom took me with her over to the old man's house. I recognized his house as soon as we turned in the driveway and started whining. My favorite friend in the whole world lives there, and she was SO happy to see me. She's about the same size as me except she is brown and white striped and I'm just black. We ran and played and raced around the back yard until we were exhausted. Then we went inside for a big drink and took a nap on the cold floor. That was the only time while we were back in that hot old country place that I was happy. The next day Mom and Dad started carrying bags and things in and out of the door. I hoped they weren't going to leave me there, in that place where I am so sad and lonely and cramped. I was still sore from those mean dogs and I was not feeling too good. But then Mom picked up my necklace, and I was so happy. THEY WERE TAKING ME WITH THEM!!!!
We went back in the car and we didn't go to the post office. We stopped in a strange room place after hours and hours on the road. I really didn't like this room place at all. There were noises all night and I kept having to bark at things, which made my dad angry with me. I tried to let him know that I couldn't help myself, but he just won't understand these things. I hid under the table all night, and then Mom and Dad started carrying bags in and out of the door again. If they left me at this terrible place I just didn't know what I would do. But then Mom got my necklace. I WAS GOING!!!
I heard Mom telling Dad that I was the best-traveled dog she bet of all the dogs in the whole world. I didn't know much about that, or about the many many places we had been. I didn't know even why we had to go to any of them, and I wasn't too happy about a single place where we stopped. Except for the last place! HOME! We went home. I never thought I would see that place again, but there it was, and I could tell as soon as my feet hit the ground that all my squirrels were as happy to see me again as I was them. I chased them up and down the deck all afternoon. It was great to be home......
(Onward....)
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