I got an idea Larry was none too happy nearly losing his new dog on the first day. Kahu forgot to tell him hounds will chase after any scent that appeals to them. If Larry could tune into the grapevine, I would have been up front about their tendency to run a mile in under two minutes, which might be an exaggeration, but I know Otto can run like the wind. He’s poetry in motion for someone who is considered a homely dog when sitting still.
“Otto, you don’t want to wear out your new Dog Dad. Where was Chihuahua Lola while you were chasing the wildlife?”
“Man, that little squirt. She pop up everywhar and near scare me to death. Last night she sleep on my pillow and keep stickin’ her head under my ear flaps. Usin’ them like a blanket. Tickles. Dog Dad take a hundert pictures of us with his tiny phone and laugh like the dickens. Even with her irritatin’ me some, I’m happy as a puppy suckin’ his mama’s teat.” Otto grins and noses Lola to wake her up and give me a shout.
“Lola, it’s Bernard, most of my buddies on the grapevine call me Dawg. How you adjustin’ to your new bloodhound brother?” She yawns and looks around as though searching for the voice inside her head. She’s so tiny, it’s a wonder Larry can find her when he wants the little pipsqueak front and center.
“Oh, Dawg. My new brother is some kinda hound, but he let me snuggle last night when the sun went down. Dog Dad got upset when Otto took off without asking if he could chase a varmint bigger than me. He hollered for him to come back but Otto just kept running. I sat on the porch watching with some anxiety cause my nerves are sensitive to turmoil probably due to my bein’ shortchanged on size. The farmer three miles down the road brought them both back in his truck. Otto got his ear chewed off for putting a scare in Dog Dad he would be hit by a car or get lost. That dog could smell his way home from China. No need to fuss. But we already got a soft spot for the big hound and both of us held him real tight and then shoved him in the house for a rest even though he didn’t appear tired. I think Dog Dad’s nerves were shot the same as mine. Don’t think Otto got the drift of what he did wrong. He dumb, or something, Dawg?”
I laugh out loud and then got down to the business of explaining the nature of a bloodhound is to chase every scent that strikes his fancy. Afterwards, I remind her so long as Otto is around, she will never get lost. This calms her some.