Annie is an All-American breed. Dog trainer Letty Towles coined that term. Annie is Golden Retriever/terrier/the rest unknown. Adopted from the Humane Society she lounges in the living room one morning with Suzi, another All-American, a Boxer-Golden Retriever mix.
“I like having Mom home all the time now,” said Annie. “It is such a change.”
“Friends keep calling and congratulating her on retiring, whatever that means,” said Suzi.
“I think it means you don’t have to put on nice shoes and clothes every day, and the car stays in the garage past 9 a.m.” Annie said.
“Yes, she used to get in the car and go to a building full of computers and write stories,” Suzi said.
“Now she takes morning coffee out to the porch and gets out her laptop,” Annie said. “But she’s been retired a month now. Time to get her off the porch and go away for some trips.”
“Trips? Like to the beach? Oh boy!” Suzi’s eyes got wide. She started thinking. “It isn’t going to be easy. She’s been inside a company for so long, 23 years, it is like being institutionalized. Now she’s out and doesn’t know how to live for the moment, like we do. She’s in a rut and needs to find her groove.”
“Well, let’s tell her the surf’s up,” “Annie said, raising her head, looking at Mom sitting on the porch, reading.
“I’ve got a better idea,” said Suzi, rising up on one paw. “We need to make that book about traveling with your dogs fall out of the bookcase and onto the floor, then she’d have to pick it up.”
“But if we knock over a bunch of books she’ll be unhappy,” Annie said, thinking ahead.” One of the cats could do it easier, just walk on the top of the books and knock out the right one. They do that all the time already.”
The dogs are outnumbered in this house – five cats to two dogs. The cats know they are in charge. The dogs know they are bigger. It is a standoff.
Just at that moment, Little Bit, a grey-striped tabby, sauntered by, ignoring the dogs.
“Hey, kid,” Suzi called.
“I’m no kid, I’m an alpha cat, it’s just nobody knows it yet,” whined Little Bit. She whined about everything, Little Bit was 14 years old. She should be flattered to be called a kid. Go figure.
“How would you like to do us a BIG favor?” asked Annie, “We need one book knocked off the bookcase.”
Little Bit picked up one paw and examined it carefully.
“It is going to cost you,” she purred.
“Name it,” Suzi said, sitting upright.
“One week of being off the bed so I get the best spot next to Mom instead of you two,” Little Bit said.
Annie jumped up. “One week off the bed, no way,” she snarled, showing her canines.
Little Bit didn’t blink. It was a bluff, she hoped.
”Four days tops,” Suzi said.
“Make it six,” Little Bit countered.
“Done,” Suzi said, extending her paw. Little Bit touched it then drew away quickly. Yuk. Touching a dog. Annie whimpered. “Not the floor, no, not the floor, you should have bargained more.”
“Forget the floor, think sand in your paws,” Suzi said.
Little Bit, tail held high, walked towards Mom’s chair. She jumped on the arm, then the back, and examined the bookcase behind the chair.
Florida titles took up the first two rows. She scanned titles and finally saw it “The Florida Dog Lovers Companion: the inside scoop on where to take your dog”.
Who would want to take a dog anywhere? Little Bit wondered.
She squeezed into the space between books and the top of that row, and began pushing the book. It moved slowly forward. Both Annie and Suzi were sitting up now, watching intently, Mom kept on reading, unaware of the unfolding drama.
The book tipped and fell on the floor. Mom jumped up from the chair saying, “Whoa, what was that?” Little Bit backpedaled and started whining, trying to blame it on the book, the bookcase, anything but her.
Annie and Suzi rushed forward and Mom picked up the book. She looked to see if Little Bit was all right then glanced at the book.
”Ah, traveling with dogs, it would be nice to do that if I had time,” Mom thought and started to put the book back.
Annie and Suzi were dumbstruck. They’d failed! And lost sleeping rights for six nights,
Then Mom hesitated.
”Wait a minute,” She said, “What am I saying? I’m in my bonus years. I do have the time.”
She sat down with the book. Suzi and Annie lay down next to her chair. Both crossed their front paws, just for luck,
“The beach,” Mom said, as she turned pages, reading about St. Augustine. “Salt air, playing in the surf, running on the sand.” Her eyes got dreamy. She reached down and petted each dog.
“I feel a trip coming on,” Mom said. “Tomorrow morning, let’s do it.”
Both dogs jumped up, bumped rumps and high-fived each other with their paws.
Mom looked at them, puzzled. Had she just been set up? She looked at Little Bit, quite content, cleaning her paw.
“No, they wouldn’t do that.” Mom shook her head. Still, of all the books to fall on the floor . . .
Suzi and Annie danced around the living room.
Mom smiled. She felt light-headed. She was her own boss now, making her own choices. The beach. What a blessing.
“We’re going to the beach!” Annie panted.
“Yes, it worked,” Suzi said. “Next time let’s get a cat to knock down a book about the Carolina mountains.”
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for further reading
The Florida Dog Lovers Companion : the inside scoop on where to take your dog
©2005 by Lucy Tobias. All rights reserved.