Gemma {Note: Click on photos for enlargement} |
Brian loved dogs. He had a dog lunchbox, a dog backpack,
and a lucky dog t-shirt.
What he didn’t have was an actual dog.
Until one day….
He stumbled upon four pups and their mom, hungry and cold in the lot down the street.
This is perfect! thought Brian. We have lots of food, blankets,
and a big backyard. I’ll just bring them
home with me.
Brian carried the four pups home. The mom – Gemma –
walked along beside them. She was really glad to have someone to help with
these pups!
Brian gave them each a bath in the guest tub, fed them
the roast beef in the fridge for that night’s dinner, and made them beds out of
his mom's finest pillows and blankets.
But when Brian’s mother and then his father arrived
home from work they were not as pleased.
“Aren’t they adorable?” Brian asked, showing them off
one by one. “I’m calling this one Marcus and this one PawPaw. This is Bruno and this is one is Auggie. The
mom’s name is Gemma. We’re perfect for each
other!”
His parents disagreed.
“Five dogs!!” they gasped. “Too many, too messy, too
expensive, and where will we put them?”
Brian was crestfallen.
“But I’ll take care of them, I promise. You won’t even know they’re here.”
But they did know.
PawPaw wanted to be a lapdog, but he was not lapdog
size. He jumped on anyone and everyone he could – often not at the best time.
His attempts to show his love were often not appreciated.
Auggie who had endless energy constantly wanted to
play. He liked to get an early start and
often woke everyone at the crack of dawn.
And Marcus enjoyed being silly and hiding things. Like dad’s good work shoes, moms’ purse, and Brian's homework.
The last straw was when Bruno “accidentally” ate the
plate of steaks that had just been barbequed for Dad’s work party. Of all of the puppies, Bruno had always been
the best behaved.
“I’m sorry son,” said Brian's dad, “but we just can’t
keep them. We’re going to have to come
up with another plan.”
Brian couldn’t imagine parting with any of them. He’d have
to come up with something quick.
Too messy?
Brian set about training and designating each pup to keep things
tidy. Gemma, their mom, oversaw making
sure each pup did his assigned chores.
Too expensive?
Brian looked to each pup’s strengths and found them all jobs so they
could help with expenses. Bruno quickly
picked up work as a cover model. Paw Paw
set up his own business as an emotional support pup. And Auggie took a job at
the local daycare where he was responsible for tiring out the children. Marcus joined the forensics team at the local
police department and cracked a big case they had been working on.
As for where to put them, Brian cleaned his room for
the first time ever and set them up on and under his bunkbed … until he could
finish the dog condo he was building in the once empty lot where he’d found
them all.
Brian loved dogs. And now he had five. When the condo was finished, he figured he could house fifty.
***
Note: This story is fiction, but Gemma and her pups are real. Gemma was found starving and searching for food in a dump and led her rescuers back to where she’d dug a den for herself and her eight pups under an abandoned home.
At this point Gemma is up to 50 pounds, within a few pounds of
her proper weight, and four of her pups have been adopted. But Gemma and her
remaining four pups are still looking for their forever homes.
Gemma is a young husky mix. Mix of what? Probably German
Shepherd. How young? Under two years is our guess. She loves playing chase and
wrestling with her pups, but when not going crazy with her boys, she’s the calmest
dog I’ve ever met, gentle and loving. A total sweetheart.
Gemma’s adoption info here.
Auggie is small for a husky mix, though at three months old,
he’s about 25 pounds. Auggie always has a grin on his face. He’s super bright and super attentive.
He was the first to learn his name and the only one to ever figure a way to get out of
their backyard pen
Auggie’s baby picture and adoption info here.
PawPaw is a big baby. At three months he weighs 27 pounds,
and loves nothing more than having his belly rubbed. He has the softest, silkiest
fur of any puppy ever, plus the biggest, softest-looking eyes and the cutest
face, so he gets almost as many pats as he’d like.
PawPaw’s adoption info here.
Bruno has inherited his mom’s temperament. He’s extraordinarily
calm (well, as calm as a puppy can be). He’s gentle, almost delicate, and he
has movie star good looks. He’s not just cute, he’s beautiful. Bruno is going
to be a big boy. At three months, he weighs 32 pounds, and he’s tall, with a
long body and long legs – he has a couple inches even on PawPaw.
How big will Bruno get? Bigger than his 50-pound mom
for sure. But male huskies typically top out at not much more than 60 pounds. Bruno
does have other breed(s) in him, though, and shepherds can be bigger. I’m going
to make a wild guess at 80+ pounds.
Bruno’s adoption info here.
Marcus is everything a puppy should be: cute and playful,
loving and sweet, always up for pats or playing. He looks to have had a
different dad from his siblings – some smaller black dog with woolly fur. His
brothers are all out-growing him, even Auggie who started as the runt of the
litter. In temperament, he’s most like Auggie – really bright, but with maybe a
bit less energy.
Marcus’s baby picture and adoption info here.
***
Susan Wollison is employed in healthcare.
She lives in Beamsville with her husband and identical twin daughters. When she
isn't writing or doing the mom thing, she enjoys exploring and finding
unusual sights all over Ontario.
***
See Brian Henry’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.