Our Three Dogs | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Our Three Dogs | Previous Challenge Entry
By Verna Cole Mitchell
08/16/18
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES

After our children grew up and left home, we shared our empty nest with three little poodles, fortunately, not all at the same time. The first was Doodi, who immediately claimed my husband as his master. He was a beautiful apricot color and was mostly a little gentleman, except when he saw a bunny in the yard. Then he became a raging blond dervish, whirling and barking nonstop. In fact, he didn’t even have to see one; we could just say the word “bunny,” and he would go into his act. He didn’t take much to other people, and when our son married, his bride said she felt like she had been accepted into the family when Doodi came to sit in her lap. We wondered once about a trail of silver behind us when we took him for a walk one cold December day till we remembered he had eaten icicles from the Christmas tree.

When Doodi died, much too young, we were sad, and very soon, another little apricot came to live with us. Missy claimed me as the one she loved the most and would go in attack mode to anyone who dared to touch me, including my husband. The vet called her “Mad Missy” because of the time in his office she bit the man who peeked into the basket filled with her puppies. My husband would tease her while she cuddled in my lap by frowning at her, and she would snarl and show her teeth. She was a “talker with many different tones and would howl when the whistled tune came on for the Andy Griffith show. She was quite smart and learned many tricks, albeit reluctantly, growling through each one I taught her. When we went on a trip and had to leave her, she would stand on her hind legs to beg us to stay. She delighted in finishing my husband’s ice cream bar.

Our house was much too quiet after Missy left us, so in just a little while, we adopted a tiny black puppy, a wriggling ball of fluff. Jenny had the sweetest nature and showed love equally to both of us. As she was sure that any visitor to our house came to see her, she greeted them all warmly. She was, however, not fond of other dogs entering her yard. Little Miss Fearless would stand and bark furiously at a neighbor’s white lab that just ignored her. Wherever we were, she wanted to be beside us. Her favorite place, when not in our laps, was on top of the recliner or sofa at our shoulders. One of her mischievous habits was to grab the end of the roll of toilet paper and run with it through the house to deposit it in the den.

While our three dogs had very distinct personalities, each one was a loyal friend, and they will all continue to live in our memories. If dogs go to heaven, I’m sure they will be there—well, maybe not Missy.

“A friend loves at all times . . . “ Proverbs 17:17 (NKJV)

PREVIOUS ENTRY | NEXT ENTRY
SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY FOR THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE

The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.

Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.