That Furball Puppy and Me (5 page)

I jumped down and scratched on the door. When it opened, I dashed in and ran for the bedroom.
Like usual, Callie was asleep on the pillow.

“Hey, Callie! Wake up! There is a new animal in the house. It's on Mama! She likes it. I don't! What are we going to do?”

Callie opened one eye. “Relax, Gray. It's only a puppy. They needed a dog to protect the yard. Muffy used to watch for coyotes, but she's gone now! They'll put it outside later.” She sighed and nestled her cheek into the pillow. “Puppies are kind of pesky, but right now, you're safe up here. He's too short to jump up this high! Chill out! Curl up! Take a nap!”

Callie wasn't any help at all. A wiggly, fuzzy, yapping furball puppy was in
my
Mama's lap and Callie wanted me to take a nap!

The day was filled with excitement and happiness. Smiles and laughter were everywhere. Only, I wasn't happy. I didn't know why. There was this strange feeling inside of me every time I looked at the little furball. It made my tail flip. I didn't like it. When they finally put the dog out in the yard, I felt a lot better. That part was wonderful! It was almost like it hadn't come here in the first place.

When it got dark, the excitement seemed to get all mixed up with sadness. The kids and the Grandkids began to pack up their stuff. They said
that they had to leave in the morning so that they could get back to work. The living room was piled with boxes and suitcases.

I tried to stay on the back of the couches and chairs when someone let the puppy in the house. The thing made this terrible yapping sound. He waggled his back end and scampered all over the place. It was safer up high. When the house settled down, Mama put towels in a big box and set it on the back porch. Then the puppy was put out for the night … they stuck me in the playroom.

Clicking sounds hit against the window. I jumped on the windowsill to look out. The birdfeeder swayed in the breeze. Small pieces of white hit against the window. I watched as it began to cover the ground.

“Yap, yap,” the puppy yelled. “Help me! It's cold out here! Let me in!”

The yapping went on for a long time. I heard him begging to come into the house. I hopped down and peeked through the crack.

Mama finally went to the door.

“Hey, pup. It's okay. Just stay in the box. We have lots of towels and blankets in there. Settle down. You're okay.”

“Yap, yap. I miss my mother. She was so soft and warm. Let me in.”

Mama closed the door gently. As I peeked
through the opening, I could still see her house shoes. Daddy's bare feet moved near.

“Are you going to leave him outside?”

“I don't know. I really don't think we need a house dog. We have Gray. He comes and goes, but old Callie might be a problem. She is used to being left alone. The puppy would be all over her. I don't know what to do.”

“Yap, yap! It's really cold out here. I need my warm mother! Let me in!” The yapping sound kept going and going.

The Mama and Daddy opened the door. Mama picked up the ball of fluff.

“He's shaking!” Mama pouted and snuggled the furball close. “Look, it's snowing out there. No wonder he's cold. The towels can't keep the dampness away from him.”

Daddy's toe pointed toward where I was watching from under the door.

“How about the playroom? Gray will leave him alone. We can put papers down and bring the box of towels inside for him to snuggle. I read that a ticking clock will comfort puppies. It's supposed to remind them of their mother's heartbeat, or something like that.” Daddy's feet moved away, toward the hall.

The door swung open. If that ugly beast was going to be in here—I wasn't. I tried to slide past
the foot that Mama put in my face. “Get back, Gray!”

When I couldn't get out, I ran to the couch. I hopped on the back, then onto the window ledge. The ball of fluff ran after me.

“Yap, yap! I want to play.” He stood on two back legs. His front legs wiggled and shook my couch. “Let me up! I want to play!”

Mama stood for a long time watching. She picked the puppy up in her arms and snuggled him. Then she put him in the box.

He didn't stay.

She caught him and put him in the box once more. He hopped out again. When she put him back the last time, she got a big cushion from the couch and put it on the box as a lid.

“Settle down, pup. The whole house is going to be up if you don't get quiet!”

The door shut. I was trapped. The dog whined and whined. He bounced against the box. It rocked back and forth. The cushion wobbled, then fell off. Wiggling and squirming, the white ball of fluff tumbled out of the box. Then …

He came straight for me.

This was the night I moved to a new level in the house.
Up!

I
stayed on the back of the couch most of the night. I didn't get a bit of sleep. Every time I so much as thought about dozing off, the puppy would bounce against the bottom of the furniture. He shook my couch and tried to get his short front paws up to the seat. He scratched against the bottom cushion. He chased his tail and yapped.

“Yap, yap, play with me!” he cried.

I tried to ignore him. Maybe he would go away. At least maybe he would go to sleep.

“Yap, yap, I miss my mother. I miss my brothers and sisters.”

I curled up on the back of the couch and watched out of one eye. The puppy didn't give up. Finally he perked his ears and went to the door.

“Yap, yap! Let me out! I want to play.”

The puppy jumped up against the door. Clawing at the wood, he continued yapping. Callie had warned me about scratching on the door. But I didn't tell the little white ball of fur. Instead, I decided to watch and see what would happen if the puppy kept it up.

It was just a few minutes before the door flew open. Daddy stood over the small pup. He slapped a newspaper against the palm of his hand.

It didn't scare the puppy—not one little bit. He jumped up against Daddy's leg. Daddy smacked the newspaper again. The white furball just bounced all over the place. Daddy reached down and lifted him up so he could look him square in the eye.

“Listen, dog. We've got to get some rest here. Settle down and go to sleep.” He put the beast back into the box and replaced the cushion over the top.

The puppy must have been pretty tired. He soon settled down into the towels at the bottom of the box.

I fell asleep, listening to the clicking of the white stuff against the window.

Before it even got light, sounds began coming from the living room. I crept past the box full of puppy. I peeked under the door. A whole bunch
of feet were scurrying around. I reached my paw under and pulled at the wood. Feet shuffled nearer.

Mama opened the door and scooped me up. She shut the door quietly.

“Are you trying to wake up the puppy?” Mama glared me in the eye. The next thing I knew I was out on the front porch.

Quickly I took care of my business and hurried back to wait for someone to let me in.

I hopped up on the window ledge and looked inside. People moved around. They bumped into one another, smiled, talked, then scurried about some more.

Suddenly the door opened. I tried to sneak in. A foot pushed me back outside. I jumped on the rocker and fluffed my fur to keep warm.

Carl and Paul carried boxes and suitcases to the driveway. They made lots of trips back and forth. Just as the sky began to brighten, Dana and Heather bundled the Grandkids up in coats, hats, and gloves. Then they brought things that had been in the boxes under the tree and stuffed armloads of toys and presents into their pudgy little hands. At last the whole group headed down the sidewalk. Mama and Daddy followed them out. I hopped down and walked to the end of the yard, where I could see what was going on.

After hugs and kisses and more talking, the
kids and Grandkids piled into a car or a van. When they drove away, Mama and Daddy walked toward the front door.

“Come on, Gray. Let's go in!” Mama grabbed me up in her arms. I could sense a sad feeling on Mama.

Once inside I got a good tummy rub. Mama even got the brush and stroked my fur until I was silky and shiny. The sad feeling was still there. I could feel it everywhere. I explored the bedrooms where the kids and Grandkids had been. The rooms looked nice and neat, but the emptiness felt strange. I had never noticed it before. The rooms seemed to be too quiet without Josh, Jenny, Katie, and Kensey!

Then the empty and quiet was gone—replaced by this loud, shrill, irritating
yapping
sound. All at once the puppy came flying down the hall, just as I was walking to the living room.

“Get him, Owen!” Mama said. “He needs to go outside this morning before he does something on the floor. I couldn't see any messes in the playroom, so I know that he needs to go out!”

Suddenly the puppy spotted me. His eyes got big around.

“Back off, Bozo!” I bared my teeth and hissed. His tongue hung out the side of his fuzzy face as he charged toward me.

Daddy grabbed the puppy. I stepped back just in time.

As soon as they were outside, I hurried to the food bowl to see what Callie had left me. I gobbled down the tender morsels of cat food. The dog would be back, and I had to hurry to a good spot where he wouldn't see me.

The window ledge behind the couch was my favorite hiding place. The curtain hid me from view. I liked looking out at the bird feeder. Snow covered the top of it. Winter birds clustered around, fussing over each little seed. The yard was covered in white.

“I think we need to get the tree down, before the puppy and Gray are in here for very long.” The Mama carried boxes to the couch. She began taking small things from the tree. Each one was wrapped, then set in a box. The long strings of shiny lights were wrapped and put away, too.

When there was nothing but an empty tree, Daddy carried it out the front door.

Mama got the puppy and gave it a good rub. Daddy sat down with them and squeezed a squeaky toy. When he rolled it across the floor, the puppy hopped down. He didn't land very well. His front feet kind of folded in under him, and he smushed his face against the carpet. Talk about a klutz. He didn't stay on his nose for very long. He jumped up and chased the squeaky toy
across the floor. Then he chased his tail. I watched from my hiding spot.

For a while the sad feeling left our house. Mama and Daddy smiled as they watched the puppy bounce around the living room. When the furball finally got tired, Mama picked him up again and sat near the fireplace. She snuggled him on her lap.

It was quiet as I watched it snow all day long. The puppy seemed to sleep a lot. Mama and Daddy just sat around most of the time.

“I think we need to let the puppy stay in the kitchen tonight. I'll put up something to keep him from getting out, kind of like the baby fence that we used when the kids were little. That way Gray can get out if he needs to.”

Mama got up and headed for the playroom. She searched in the closet looking for something.

She came out carrying some big pieces of cardboard. Propping them up against the cabinet and the wall, she divided the kitchen from the dining room.

At bedtime Mama put the box of towels in the kitchen. She and Daddy, both, spread newspapers all over the floor. A step stool, the box, and a bowl of water were the only things left in the room. The puppy and I were put in last. I went to the stool and jumped to the top step. The puppy lay still in the box for a long time.

I was almost asleep when the whining started. The puppy whimpered quietly, at first. “I really like to have you near,” he said with a sigh.

I ignored him.

The box wiggled. A black button nose and two little eyes peeked over the edge of it. “I really miss my mama and my brothers and sisters. They played with me all the time.”

Still trying to ignore him, I turned my head and curled up on the kitchen stool. The box rattled. I opened one eye. Two, sharp-pointed white ears stuck up over the edge. They bounced up and down.

“I can get out of here,” he yapped. “You want to see? I can get out and we can play. You want to play with me? Huh? Want to?”

Standing up and arching my back, I yawned. My whiskers tilted up on one side as I sneered down at him.

“I don't want to play. Go to sleep.”

“Oh, please,” he whined. “I'm not sleepy. I'm lonely. Let's play.”

I flipped my tail and jumped from the stool to the cabinet. “Leave me alone.”

Fuzzy paws banged against the side of the box. “That was cool! I wish I could jump like that. How did you do that?”

Instead of answering, I flopped on the kitchen counter and yawned. Why was this guy being
such a pest? Everybody knows cats are great jumpers. Why doesn't he just shut up and go to sleep?

The box rocked again when the puppy bounced against the side. Then it tilted and fell over. The furball rolled out, stood, and shook himself. He looked up at me, then bounced against the cabinet doors. There was a sudden “splash” sound. I lifted my head and peeked over the edge of the counter.

With all the bouncing he was doing, the dumb mutt stuck his foot in the water bowl. It splashed all over the place. The papers were wet. His foot was wet. If he kept this up, the whole kitchen was going to be a mess.

Suddenly the whiskers on both sides of my face sprang up.

The whole kitchen was going to be a mess.
The words seemed to echo inside my head. If the puppy made a mess, the Mama and Daddy would be mad. When they got mad at me, they put me outside. If the puppy was outside, Mama would have more time to pet me. She could give me more tummy rubs instead of petting the puppy. I loved my tummy rubs.

Quietly I got to my feet. I turned and sat on the edge of the counter, dangling the tip of my tail over the side. The puppy jumped against the cabinet door. I wiggled my tail again. He bounced
and tried to nip at it. Sure enough, when he jumped and barked, his little fat hind paws plopped into the water bowl. Water splashed everywhere. He didn't even seem to notice he was all wet. The dumb thing did it again. His soggy feet tracked all over the place.