Part IV - Settling In CONTINUE to Part V
If you’ve ever been a puppy, or known one, the next few weeks will seem kind of familiar. If that “Eating, Pooping, Sleeping” phase was kindergarten, what happened next was the grade school version, ramped up to include a few other options which I’ll get to in a bit.
After twitching my toes through a fine set of dreams, I woke from my homecoming nap, yawned, stretched and approached the edge of the couch. It looked like a long way down, and I hesitated a bit, then hunched my butt, pawed at the cushions and launched myself towards the floor.
OK, landing chin first in a heap may not be the most graceful of landings, but I didn’t think it deserved the snorts and giggles Clancy threw my way. I was about to give him a snarfy response when Maggie swooped me up and carried me across the room. She paused and bent down to show me a hole near the bottom of the door with a flap hanging over it.
“Go potty,” she said, and poked my head under the flap. Uh-huh, whatever. I looked around briefly, then Maggie pulled me back in and opened the door. “Go potty,” she said again. I had no clue what she was going on about, but I could see grass and sky, so I trotted through the doorway to check it out.
First things first. I’d been snoozing for quite a while which meant there were urgent matters to attend to, so I dropped my butt and squatted down to pee, I was almost cut off in midstream by Maggie’s squeal of delight.
After twitching my toes through a fine set of dreams, I woke from my homecoming nap, yawned, stretched and approached the edge of the couch. It looked like a long way down, and I hesitated a bit, then hunched my butt, pawed at the cushions and launched myself towards the floor.
OK, landing chin first in a heap may not be the most graceful of landings, but I didn’t think it deserved the snorts and giggles Clancy threw my way. I was about to give him a snarfy response when Maggie swooped me up and carried me across the room. She paused and bent down to show me a hole near the bottom of the door with a flap hanging over it.
“Go potty,” she said, and poked my head under the flap. Uh-huh, whatever. I looked around briefly, then Maggie pulled me back in and opened the door. “Go potty,” she said again. I had no clue what she was going on about, but I could see grass and sky, so I trotted through the doorway to check it out.
First things first. I’d been snoozing for quite a while which meant there were urgent matters to attend to, so I dropped my butt and squatted down to pee, I was almost cut off in midstream by Maggie’s squeal of delight.
“GOOD potty!”
That word again. Can’t a guy pee in peace? I focused on finishing my business, then turned and checked out the puddle. It looked good, though no thanks to Maggie. She was still chattering happily about potties, so I put my nose in high gear and did a quick recon of my surroundings. A few squirrels had stopped by, plus a bunny or two, but this was dog territory, specifically Kelty and that goofball Clancy. It felt good. It felt like home.
That word again. Can’t a guy pee in peace? I focused on finishing my business, then turned and checked out the puddle. It looked good, though no thanks to Maggie. She was still chattering happily about potties, so I put my nose in high gear and did a quick recon of my surroundings. A few squirrels had stopped by, plus a bunny or two, but this was dog territory, specifically Kelty and that goofball Clancy. It felt good. It felt like home.
