A Short Dog Story.

 One cold winter morning a man stepped out of his car and headed towards
his  house carrying a small cardboard box in his hands. Once inside the house
he  set the box on the floor and pulled from it a small wooly Bouvier puppy.
The  man and his family laughed and cooed as they watched the small pup wobble
on  unsteady legs around the room like a sailor on shore leave.

  Soon the other animals of the house came to investigate this new
arrival.  The pup leaned against the man as he was sniffed poked and prodded by dog
and  cat a like. The pup looked up at the man as if to say, what exactly am I
 supposed to do here? The man looked down at the pup and smiled. " Soon
pup,  all of these animals will give you a wide birth they will think twice
before  pawing at your face again. Don't worry pup, in time, I'll teach you."
  Playtime soon came and the man rolled a ball toward the pup. As the ball
 reached him the pup jumped back unsure of if it was friend or foe. The man
 chuckled and patted the bewildered puppy on the head and said " Soon that
 ball will be worn and ragged from the hours of play you and I will have with
 it, you won't want to be without it. Don't worry pup, in time, I'll teach  you."

  The man walked around his house doing his daily chores and the pup
followed  him closely step after step. Soon the man went down some stairs and the
pup  stopped at the first step and looked down at the man. He whimpered as he
 paced over the top step. The man turned climbed the stairs back to the pup
 picked him up and carried him down the stairs. " Soon pup, those steps will
 be second nature to you, you will take them two and three at a time.
Don't  worry pup, in time, I'll teach you." The man said reassuring his small
 charge.

    When it was time for the pup's first walk the man attached a lead to
the  pup's collar and gently nudged him along. The pup froze and pulled back
 against the leash unsure of what the strange pulling on his neck was. The man
 chuckled and reached down patting his reluctant walking companion. " Soon
you  and I will walk miles upon miles together, meeting new people where ever
we  go. You will bounce around with excitement at the very sight of this
leash in  my hand. Don't worry pup, in time, I'll teach you." The man explained to
the  frightened youngster.

   While looking for more toys to occupy the furry ball of energy at his
feet.  The man found a picture of his lost friend. The bouvier that had just
crossed  rainbow bridge. The man sighed as he wondered if this new pup would want
to  be as big a part of his life. He wondered if they would take timeless walks
 together, sit in the car at the McDonalds drive thru waiting patiently for  there favorite ice cream cones. He wondered if this pup would always want to  be near him no matter where he was. The man worried that he expected to much  out of this new friendship. The small wooly pup looked up at the man with  sparkling eye and knowing smile as if to say. " We will be all those things  and more. I can not be your lost friend but I can and will give you all I  have. Don't worry man, in time, I'll teach you..."

Author Tom Styers

P. S. Tom is waiting for his first Bouvier pup. Do you think he'll be a great pet owner?
         I sure do!

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