The Problem with a Dog

The Problem with a Dog

Oscar, their Blue Heeler, sat beside the bed, watching his friend sleep. Philomena stirred, turned her head towards Oscar. Her hair fell over her face. Oscar whined. Philomena lifted her head. “Oscar, get up here. I’m not ready to get up yet.” He just whined, pushed his cold nose to hers, and swiped her face with his drool-y tongue. “Yuck! Oscar! Don’t do that!” She wiped her face with her wrinkled sheets. “I’m sorry, guy. I didn’t mean to yell at you. You know I hate that……..I guess you don’t even know what I’m talking about.” She rolled away from him and pulled her quilt over her head. “Maybe he’ll go away.” She hardly had the words out of her mouth when Oscar leapt on the bed and snuggled up against her back, pushing her to the other side. If he could have said anything it would be “ f she’s not getting up then I’ll just crowd her out.” Oscar was proud of his cleverness when it came to getting people out of bed. All he really wanted was a jogging partner and Philomena was the best. She’d been gone too long, her parents only took him for walks and her brother, Phil was always too tired after work. He’d been out in the back yard when she finally got home yesterday. Apparently her parents left him outside on purpose, so he wouldn’t get crazy excited when she came in the door. When they did let him in, she’d already gone to bed. He just sat at the foot of the stairs waiting for her to come down to take him for a run. His ears perked up at the slightest sound, then he’d sigh and stretch his muzzle out on his paws. He dozed off and on all night, but when he heard the birds and the cat being let out, he went upstairs, nosed her door open and sat by her bed. “Okay, okay! I’m up….sort of. You were going to let me fall on the floor, weren’t you?” She scratched his ears and gave him a big hug. “I missed you, Oscar! Should we go for a run? Or did you get too lazy while I was away?” She got dressed while she talked with him. He could hardly sit still. He knew the word ‘run’ was a good word! Tugging on her shoes, she said “I have to get something to eat first. I missed my supper last night!” Oscar whined as if he knew what she was saying. At least to him that didn’t sound good. He hadn’t heard the word ‘leash’ yet, but she was going downstairs. So maybe? Breakfast for her was cold chicken from the night before and a glass of orange juice. “Okay, boy. Where’s your leash?…….Look at you, you’ve got it already!” She clipped it onto his collar, made sure there were poop bags in the little plastic bone on his leash, picked up her water bottle and said “Let’s go!…….Oops, just wait a minute.” Poor Oscar looked worried. Had she changed her mind. “I just need to leave a note for mom and dad. She scribbled a note on the pad of paper her mother always kept on the table. “Be back in about an hour. Oscar and I are out for a run.”

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It felt so good. The air was fresh and moist. Not a cloud in the sky. Jogging along the path through the park, they were the only two out this early. Oscar was as happy as a dog could be. While she was away, he had moped about the house. When her parents did call him for a walk, he did go but didn’t try to chase every squirrel he saw. For the first couple of days, he didn’t even eat. But after a while he was hungry. Rita, Philomena’s mom, finally tempted him with some steak. She had barbequed steak one night and noticed him sniffing the air. That was always her signal to either shoo him from the kitchen or patio, or spoil him with a piece of meat. Because he hadn’t been eating it was the latter this time. After that he did eat, not as much but at least he wasn’t skin and bones when Philomena got home. Her brother had managed to get him out for a run a couple of times on his days off, but wondered what would happen if she did leave Hartley for University. He didn’t know how long he’d be on the Island. All these thoughts were rolling around her mind as she jogged. In the brief time she’d had the night before with her parents, she had learned about Oscar’s mood while she was away, but didn’t know that Phil had been giving leaving some thought. So here was something else planted in her path. Her faithful friend, Oscar. She’d had him since he was a puppy. Five years old now, he still had a good long life left. “So, Oscar, what are we going to do?” She stopped in mid jog and got down to his level. All he did was lick her face. She didn’t seem to mind this time….until she pushed him away and told him ‘No!’ She picked up his leash again and they started their jog again. Philomena glanced at her watch. “Time to get home, buddy. We both need our breakfast and I really need to talk with mom and dad. We didn’t get much time last night. I’ve got some more thinking to do.” Oscar was just glad she was home and would do anything for her.

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“The bond with a true dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth will ever be.”

~ Konrad Lorenz