I Am Not A Dog Person

     If there's one thing everyone who knows me knows about me, it's that I am not a dog person.
     It's not that I don't like dogs...well, actually, it is.
     I'm just more of a cat person,

My cat, Lucy.

...or a rabbit person.

     Our past  rabbits,
       Buddy                                                                               and Daisy.

     Daisy playing with our cat, Tansy.

     Maybe the reason I'm not a dog person is that my kids never brought home a stray or orphaned dog, random serendipity being the provenance of most of our pets,

 ...such as Dori, who my daughter found sick, freezing, and starving in an alley before she brought her home for us to nurse back to health ($1,000 in vets bills  later).

      Anyway, whatever the reason, I just don't take to dogs.  And dogs don't take to me.
      However, that being said,  after my daughter informed me that they'd just added a new puppy to their family, a little male rescue mutt-mix named Fluffy Tail Pinky-Poo Rainbow Dash Sparkle,

...Pinky for short,

...well, I couldn't very well arrive for a visit laden with presents for my grandchildren without bringing at least a  little something for my new grand puppy.

...and some magazines so that the family could learn something about dogs.

     And, as Pinky seemed to really like the tennis  ball I brought him without having any idea what it was for,

...I figured it was only right for me to teach him to play "fetch."

     And since he's teething, better I should  teach him to chew on a toy rather than the furniture.

     And as long as I'm watching the kids, well, I suppose I can keep an eye on the puppy, too.

...and, okay, fine, if he wants a tummy rub so bad, I'll give him a tummy rub.

     And since the room I'm sleeping in is closest to the kitchen where Pinky's sleeping crate is,  it just makes sense for me to get up with him at 2 am for his potty break and again at 6 am by which time he's up and bouncing for the day and ready for his breakfast, and, of course, I'm not going to let him starve,

...and since I fixed oven-fried chicken for the family the other night, I reckoned I might as well cook a couple of  plain pieces of chicken, too.

     And if Pinky now insists on following me around everywhere and being in the same square inch as me,

...(sigh)...okay, fine.

     But I'm still not a dog person.

"Equal And Opposite Reactions"
         by Patti Liszkay
is available at
http://www.blackrosewriting.com/romance/equalandoppositereactions
amazon.com
barnesandnoble.com
Kindle      Nook
Gramercy Books in Bexley, Ohio