Love hurts...

Myrtle and I have been working on a proper understanding of where to do my business.  I would proffer that I am doing MUCH better at heeding her wishes.  I would also say--to be honest--because Myrtle has gotten downright ugly about even the smallest little mistake on my part when it comes to this matter.

An ugly Myrtle frightens me, is something that I definitely wish to avoid, and has been a great motivator to me to redouble my efforts to grasp the proper disposition of my business.  But, do not get me wrong, Myrtle is still a great puppy mom.  Whenever she loses her temper, she ALWAYS apologizes and asks for my forgiveness.  She really does try to be patient with me. I only wish I could be a better student in where it is she finds acceptable to relieve myself.

If you take a look see at my rather handsome photo, you will see my beloved Hippo.  You know I have said that a fellow cannot have enough babies.  A fellow also benefits from always having a baby or two with him.  Hippo is a GREAT friend. His squeaker is still intact, which is all kinds of awesome to me, but he fits best in my mouth, so is quite easy to carry around with me.  So loved is he, I rarely forget to carry him upstairs with me when it is time for bed.  Myrtle snuggles with me and I snuggle with Hippo.

Here you can see me with Neighbor Dog.  She is my current girl friend.

Now, our relationship got off to a rocky start.  In the first few days of living here, Myrtle and I were out in the backyard, as she tried to introduce me to the great OUTSIDE and grass. She had put a kettle on to boil and it started making a most wretched noise.  So, Myrtle darted inside to take it off the stove.  Before either of us could think, Neighbor Dog had appeared in the back yard and was dangling me from her teeth.

I squealed like stuck pig. [It was not my proudest moment.] Myrtle came running outside and charged Neighbor Dog.  She dropped me, Myrtle scooped me up, and then my momma tossed me in the back porch and closed the door.  She then ran next door, sobbing, and demanded that someone come fetch Neighbor Dog from our yard.

I admit that I was terrified and need hours of snuggling to calm down.  I also avoided the back yard as much as possible.  Myrtle was completely supportive of the former, but she was heartlessly against the latter and forced me to go OUTSIDE.  I was left to tremble on the other side of the yard as I searched for prospective spots to do my business.

Neighbor Dog is NOT like the Fearsome Beast.  Myrtle finally explained to me that she discovered Neighbor Dog is a female dog and was most likely trying to take care of me like my momma did.  She said that mommas will pick up their puppies in their mouths to carry them to safety.  Since I carry my babies around with my mouth to keep them safely nearby or to tuck them safely into bed, that made sense to me.  I decided to give Neighbor Dog a second chance.

She was VERY patient with me, spending days on end lying low to the ground and wagging her tail until I was brave enough to approach.  Once I was close, she stuck her nose between the links on the fence, gave me a kiss, and then popped back to her side and wagged her tail some more.  Her kiss was kind of nice.

Now, months later, we kiss all the time.  We wag our tails together and run up and down in front of the fence together.  Sometimes we talk and sing together.  Mostly, our relationship has been just great.  But then, just as with Myrtle, I was rather cruelly reminded that love hurts.

You can see in the photo above that Myrtle snapped of our kissing and tail wagging, Hippo is lying on the ground beneath my face.  My beloved Hippo.  My baby.  My staunch companion.

Nature called and I stepped away from Neighbor Dog to tend to my business.  When I turned back around, I was rather horrified to see that Hippo was gone!  My beloved Hippo was lost to me!

Myrtle, my wonderful Myrtle came running (okay...hobbling) at my first cry and quickly spotted the problem.  My beloved Hippo was hanging from Neighbor Dog's mouth on the OTHER side of the fence.  Oh, did my heart hurt.  The betrayal.  The fear.  The agony of separation.

Myrtle called out to Neighbor Dog, but instead of realizing her error, instead of understanding how much she was hurting me and giving me back my beloved Hippo, Neighbor Dog backed away from the fence and then turned and ran over to her deck.  Before I could really grasp what was happening, she had buried Hippo in a planter.  NEIGHBOR DOG BURIED HIPPO ALIVE!

Oh, my Hippo.  Oh, my beloved Hippo.

Myrtle, my beloved Myrtle, went running (okay...hobbling) over to the house next door and patiently waited on the porch for several long minutes until someone finally answered the door.  She explained the problem and asked that Neighbor Dog's momma rescue Hippo.  She did.  Myrtle brought him to me.  And, finally, my heart stopped hammering in my chest...finally, I could catch my breath...finally I could try my tears.  Hippo came back to me!

As you can see, Hippo is somewhat worse for the wear, having been so cruelly buried.  Myrtle promised me that he would soon be better.  Of course, that meant that she had to take him from my mouth and carry him down the steps to the basement.  Ever the faithful poppa to my Hippo, I lay down on the top step and waited for him to be returned to me for good.

Love hurts.  Really, it does.  It hurts to love another dog, because she will inevitably betray you.  It hurts to love a baby, because this world is wicked and evil and it is simply impossible to keep your babies safe. It hurts to love a momma because she will make you do things that you do not want to do.  Seriously, love hurts!


This is my life with Myrtle. Amos Adams signing off!