Puppy Love

I wrote this recently for my fiction writing class. I thought I would share it here, since it sorta fits. :)

p.s. Its pretty long...

Dedicated to Ali, Chance, and Jessa

Puppy Love

Tails wagged with quick eager movements as Sara moved towards the hook in the wall by the back door. Three long worn leashes hung down, haphazardly thrown there after the last walk.  She grabbed the red one first and turned toward the waiting mutts.

“Okay Mags, you’re first. Sit.”

Mags barked once then spun in a circle, the excitement overtaking her.

“No, Mags. Sit. I mean it.”

Sara bent down pinching the fur on the little red heeler’s back right leg. Her butt went down and Sara swooped in and hooked the leash onto the collar, knowing this obedience wouldn’t last long.  She tried her best to keep hold of the leash while she grabbed the next one, this time a bright blue.

“Alright Ryder, you good boy. Come over here, you know the drill.”

The beautiful border collie loped across the small living room. He passed the lumpy brown couch and small end table with a crystal vase on top that held bright yellow flowers. They stood out from the murky day outside, and Sara appreciated the bright yellow petals that seemed to smile up at her.

Ryder’s ears, one black and one white, were standing up and his eyes were eager. He sat as soon as he reached Sara’s feet and patiently waited for the leash to be hooked to his collar. When it was done, he stepped to the side, bumping into the bouncy heeler. At the contact, he turned his head and raised his lips, letting loose a small growl.

“Geez Ryder. For such a chill dog, you have such an alpha complex,” Sara muttered as she kneed his side, letting him know that that was not okay. He looked up at Sara, a betrayed look in his sparkly eyes.

“Speaking of an alpha complex… Ali you’re next.” She waited on the other side of Sara, already sitting and ready. Sara noticed, not for the first time, the gray that surrounded Ali’s small perceptive eyes. It was the only indicator of the small red heeler’s age, like gray hair surrounding the temples of your grandma’s smiling face. Her quick purposeful movements were completely full of energy and life however. It would be a shame when that changed. Nobody would be more saddened by that day than Ali herself.

As soon as the pink leash was hooked, Ali jumped into action, heading straight for the front door where she knew the walk would begin, stopping only briefly to stow her favorite tennis ball between her small jaws. The leash tugged her back when Sara stopped at the closet to grab her winter cap and scarf. Shoving the hat down onto her messy blonde hair, she grabbed for some doggie bags she had brought home from the dog kennel where she worked as manager and head dog trainer. Ali stood with the leash taut; her head pointing back towards Sara and watching with obvious impatience as if to say Well? Are we going or what? Hurry up!

Heading out the door and down the wooden front steps, all three dogs turned towards the right in a unified movement, knowing they would be walking around the block twice then ending at the park next to the neighborhood. The unity ended there however. Mags zigzagged all over the sidewalk, eager to inspect every little scent and oddity.

“Heel!” Sara commanded in her best authoritative voice, pulling on the red leash until Mags was forced to her side. Pulling the leash through her hand until there was a tail of slack hanging down, she used it to swat the puppy’s lower back. Mags instantly reacted, ceasing her excited tugging and looking up at Sara with a reproachful look.

“Yeah that’s right. You stay by me missy,” Sara told her, only a little sorry for using such a dirty trick. Mags hated any contact from the back, probably seeing it as underhanded. But one little swat usually kept her in line for a while. 

The other two leashes were in Sara’s other hand, the non-dominant one, as the older dogs could walk themselves. Ali hardly even needed the leash at all anymore. She walked out front of the little group, leading with the tennis ball still between her teeth. That tennis ball was so often there that it looked like a toddler’s binky, resting in the mouth for hours at a time.  

Ryder stayed glued to Sara’s side, only occasionally stopping to sniff this or that, but always staying close. Every so often his large black and white head would turn back and his eyes would find Sara, anxious to please.

“Ryder, you sweet boy. Good dog.” Slipping his and Ali’s leashes around her wrist, Sara reached down and scratched briefly behind his ears.

Twice around the block they went, with the occasional correction for Mags or the quick conversation with Sara’s neighbor John. Mags kept well away from the man, distrustful, while Ali eagerly offered him the tennis ball.

Finally arriving at the small neighborhood park surrounded by a fence and sporting a small playground and sandbox in the far corner, Sara reached down and unhooked the three collars. Each dog sprinted away, knowing exactly in which direction the ball would be thrown. She was unconcerned with their off-leash behavior. They were all business at this point, and for these three dogs, business meant fetch.

               Ryder nipped at Mags when she got too close and Mags happily ran circles around him in response. Ali had dropped the worn yellow tennis ball at Sara’s feet, trusting that she would indeed throw it. Sara bent down and picked it up, ignoring the slight wetness. She knew it would get worse, especially if Ryder got hold of it enough.

Sara chucked the ball as far as she could, using her old softball training, and the waiting dogs zeroed in on its landing spot. Mags was the fastest but Ryder was smarter. The overeager puppy went swooping in way too fast and flew right past the ball, but Ryder reigned in just in time and snatched it up just as an eagle might snatch up its prey.

Ali was the slowest of the three, which was a shame because she used to be a little rocket. She reached the area just in time for Ryder to pull a wide about face and run back towards Sara. Ali did the same, following in his path. Mags, unfazed by her clumsy miss and her quick eyes happy, ran out ahead of Ryder and nearly collided with Sara’s legs.

Many times this scene was repeated, and Sara thoroughly enjoyed it, almost as much as the dogs. This time with the dogs, exercising and entertaining them, was her happiest part of the day. The repetitive task of throwing the ball was strangely therapeutic. Her mind wandered towards Robert again. They had been dating pretty seriously for about a year until about three months ago when he had suddenly ended it, saying he just wasn’t into it anymore. He had said it wasn’t fair to her to let it go any further. She had been blindsided and completely heartbroken. In the three months since with only the occasional date set up by her best friend Sophia, her only solace had come from her life with the dogs, both at home and at work.

With a smile, she noticed that the thought of Robert brought only a small tug of heartache, not like it had been, especially not in the presence of these happy dogs. The dogs’ excitement was infectious. She laughed aloud.

The dogs were just heading back over the pristine green grass, a little slower now after so many runs, when Mags, who had the ball in her mouth and her ears sticking straight up, suddenly veered off course, heading to the right, back in the direction of the entrance to the park. Her lithe body took long strides, paws hardly touching the ground. Her red fur, like the color of red-rock, was a blur against the backdrop of the bright green grass.

“Mags! Get back here! Oh!” Alarmed, Sara had started after the puppy until she noticed the tall figure that had come through the small iron gate. Mags had just reached him, jumping up, practically into his arms. “That darn dog…” she muttered under her breath, though her heart tugged again, but in a good way this time.

Embarrassed by the little heeler’s behavior, Sara ran up to the scene quickly and called Mags back. Ryder and Ali followed, Ryder barking once then looking at Sara apprehensively.

“Sorry about that. You throw the ball for her one time and she is your best friend. Throw it twice and she loves you more than me.” Sara was not surprised to see him. “How are you Nathan?”  

Nathan had just chucked the ball, sending the dogs running again, despite their poor overworked hearts. He looked over at Sara, his smile brightening the day much like Sara’s flowers had. “Oh I’m alright. I just got home and saw you from the driveway, thought I would come say hi to these little mutts.”

The dogs had returned, with Ryder once again in the lead with the ball. This time, when they returned, they all crashed onto the ground in exhaustion, eyes glued on the two humans, waiting for them to throw the ball, but each body swelled and deflated almost in unison as they each tried to regain their breath. Tongues lolled, and Ryder boasted his normal river of slobber.

Sara was pleased to see Nathan again. Despite living in the same apartment complex for some time, they had not met until the day he had come out to watch her with the dogs, just a few weeks ago. He had been intrigued by the dogs he had said, and Sara was always happy to show them off. He had come to play fetch many times since then, allowing for several conversations between the two of them and for the dogs to grow attached as well.

Walking forward, Sara prepared to leash all three dogs once again. Reaching Mags first, she grabbed for her collar. Ryder came up too, obediently waiting. Ali, seeing the movement, rose from the ground, still panting heavily, and grabbed the ball. She started towards the gate, not bothering to wait to be leashed.

“Well unfortunately for you, you came right at the end. These dogs need to rest. You can see I’ve probably overrun them.”

“No problem. I’ll walk you back. Do you mind?” He indicated Mags’ leash.

Laughing, Sara replied “Go for it. You know the rules though.”

“Yes of course. I am not to let her wander or pull on the leash. She is to stay right by me at all times. No racing or playing tag and by no means can anyone smile.”  Bending down, he looked into Mags’ beautiful amber eyes whispering conspiratorially, “She’s such a dictator, isn’t she? Doesn’t allow for any fun.” Mags just licked his face in response.

Looking up through his dark eyelashes while petting the puppy, he watched for Sara’s reaction. When she just rolled her eyes and walked away, he chuckled and followed, holding tight to Mags’ leash. Of all the dogs, she had recovered from the exhaustion the most. Excited, she ran forward until the leash pulled her back.

“Heel!” Nathan commanded. Mags immediately pulled back to his side, her head back and her eyes on him. “That’s my girl.”

Sara, out ahead of them, rolled her eyes again, but with a secret smile. Looking down at Ryder, she said “Hear that Ryder?” At his name, he looked up at her. “Mags is his girl now apparently. Such a traitor. At least I still have you and Ali right?” Looking up, she saw Ali, several paces ahead, not even waiting for those following as she meandered tiredly along the sidewalk. “Well, I still have you, anyway.”

Coming up beside her, Nathan responded, saying “Oh just give me time. I’ll have every one of these dogs.  They love me.” Dramatically puffing out his chest, he looked proud and important.

“Ha! Yeah right! Ryder is too loyal. He could never love you more than me.”

“That’s what you think,” he said with a wink.

The whole group, three dogs and two humans, made their way down the street, back towards Sara’s small townhome. The weather had turned colder with snow threatening. It had held off for a few weeks now, but if they got any further into December, it was bound to happen soon. Sara was bundled up in her black peacoat, which was covered in dog hair, and her light hat and scarf.

She hardly noticed the cold, except to note the slight redness on Nathan’s pale cheeks which made his dark hair and eyebrows stand out. That emphasized the green color of his eyes nicely. His tall figure, clad only in a blue argyle sweater over his brown slacks and button down shirt, was fit and healthy, though a bit lanky. He smiled to himself as he looked down at Mags, who had started forward to explore the small pink bicycle left on the sidewalk. He tugged on the leash lightly, a gentle reminder.

He had turned quiet, and Sara watched him out of the corner of her eye, wondering. She secretly loved the way he and Mags had bonded. Not many men could charm Mags so easily. The puppy’s innate distrust of men had worried Sara for a while. She was troubled about what had caused it and constantly watched for any aggressive behavior that would surface at some point. Sara had only adopted the small heeler the previous August and knew little about her previous situation. But Nathan had managed to assuage any fears Sara had about Mags through his easy-going nature and charm. Mags had grown very loyal to him and it was endearing to see.

Coming up on Sara’s house, they walked up the steps towards the waiting Ali, still with the ball in her mouth, who stood patiently by the door. Ryder and Mags moved up next to her, sticking their wet noses in the corner of the door frame, waiting. Sara reached down and unhooked the leashes, then opened the door. The dogs hurtled through, going straight for the water dish in the kitchen. Without having to see it, Sara knew that Ali would lie down next to it, her head hanging over the rim, occasionally dipping down to catch a few mouthfuls. Mags would shove the others out of the way, get her share, then move to the side and lie down. Ryder would patiently wait for the dish to be open, get his own share, then come back to wherever Sara was and lie down at her feet.

Still at the door, Sara turned back towards Nathan, who hung back, two steps down. She was about to invite him in to warm up when she noticed his face. He was watching her with both anticipation and nervousness. When the corners of her red lips rose in response to his attention, he spoke, “Hey Sara, I was wondering if you’d like to come over tonight for dinner?”

Thick eyebrows raised slightly, she smiled even bigger, showing her perfect white teeth. “Yeah, Nathan, I would really like that.”

He smiled even wider, and his eyes sparkled in the winter sun. “Cool. So I’ll come by at about 7 to walk you over?”

“Oh, that’s not necessary. I can meet you there.”

“No,no,no. You can’t deprive me of seeing that little Mags again can you?” He winked, obviously pleased by her acceptance.

“Of course not. See you then.” Smiling, she waved and stepped inside the door. He waved back and started back down the steps, stealing another look behind him.

Inside the apartment, Sara slowly and methodically removed her coat, scarf, and hat and placed them inside the closet by the door. Moving into her bedroom, all three dogs followed and leapt up onto the bed, which was covered by an old, tattered green quilt.  They each lay down and looked back up at her, watching her small movements as she calmly straightened up a bit, picking up her tossed pajamas from off the floor and straightening the books in her small bookcase. They could tell something was up. Finally, she turned to the dogs, smiled wide, and cried, “He finally asked!” and crashed down onto the bed, landing among them. Ali barked once and leapt down off the bed to grab her ball and Mags leaned forward and eagerly licked Sara on the cheek, making Sara laugh like a little girl. Ryder watched it all from the end of the bed, ears up, apprehensive about his human’s odd behavior.

“Alright!” Sara said, getting back up and moving towards her closet. “I’ve got two hours to wash off the effects of the dog kennel and make myself presentable.” She started towards the small bathroom in the hall then stopped suddenly. “But first, its food time! Let’s go eat, pups!”

Hearing the magic words, they all jumped up and sped into the kitchen straight towards the dog food closet. They all stopped at their respective bowls, all spaced out evenly along the wall. Opening the closet, Sara scooped up some food from the large bag, exactly one cup, and said “Everybody sit! Ali first.” Dropping the food into her bowl, she stopped to make sure Ali was watching, waiting to be told she could eat. Then Sara got another cup and a half for Ryder, depositing it into his bowl. Mags got a cup in her dish. Once done with that, Sara turned to face each dog, who all watched her, except Mags, who kept sneaking a look at her food. Ryder had a long stream of drool escaping from his mouth.

“Alright Ali, eat.” Ali moved forward and put her nose into her dish. Mealtime was all about seniority. The alpha or oldest always ate first, then the order going down from there. By the time it was Mags’ turn, she was squirming to get at her food. The excitement overtook her a few times when she would spin in a circle, her crazy eyes apparent. When she was finally still and watching, Sara released the pup to eat.  By that time Ali was done, with Ryder just finishing up. With mealtime done, Sara went to go get ready, wondering how the night would go.

After getting out of the hot shower, Sara poked her head out of the bathroom to check on Mags to make sure she wasn’t getting into anything. Seeing her innocently lying on the bed, Sara went back into the bathroom to dry her blonde hair and apply her makeup. She never really bothered to do her hair each day, usually favoring a quick ponytail straight out of the shower. The dog kennel didn’t require any amount of glamour. But tonight was different.  She took her time getting ready, her excitement almost overtaking her. There was an extra bounce in her step as she moved from the bathroom to the bedroom, doing this or that, picking out her outfit, even dancing with Ryder a bit, holding his paws up and moving around the small room.

Just before 7 o’clock, Sara was in her bedroom, searching for her black sweater, and the dogs were out in the small living room rough-housing. A few times Sara called to them to settle down, but didn’t really think much of it, worried too much about her night. Suddenly a crash sounded from the room and Sara straightened and sighed. “Now what did you break?” she cried.

Walking into the room, she saw the dogs cowering away from the end table where the crystal vase that had previously sat there was now broken on the floor, water and flowers among the broken pieces.

“I knew you guys were going to break that… I guess it’s my fault for putting it—“Stopping, she noticed a small puddle of red on the wooden floor to her right, where Mags was licking at her right hind leg.  “Mags? Honey, are you alright?” Voice going a little shrill, she lurched forward bending down to inspect her pup’s leg. A large, deep gash was glistening red, just above the foot. Worried by the amount of blood, she ran into the kitchen and grabbed her hand towel and raced back into the living room and immediately worked on stopping the blood.

Just then, Nathan arrived and knocked softly on the front door. The other two dogs went running. Mags tried to follow but Sara held her back. Shouting over Ali’s shrill bark and Ryder’s deep one, Sara cried “Come in!”

He opened the door and greeted the dogs, his deep voice happy and unaffected. “Where is my girl? Mags?” Reaching the living room, Sara could see that he had changed into nice dark jeans and a dark blue button down shirt. His green eyes found Sara and Mags in front of the bedroom door and he moved quickly over, deep concern clouding his features.”What’s happened? Is she alright?”

“No, I don’t think so. She cut her leg on the broken vase. It’s very deep, Nathan. And I’m concerned about all of this blood.”

“Alright, uh, let me call the animal hospital. There is one on main street isn’t there? Do you need another towel or something? Here let me take her. Are you alright Sara?” He looked into her brown eyes, sensing the panic and concern she felt for her puppy.

“Yes, I… I am okay. We just need to get her to the hospital. Ali, Ryder, kennel!” They each scurried off obediently to the bedroom where the dog kennels were. Ensuring that Nathan had a good hold of Mags, Sara followed them to lock up the kennels and grab her purse and car keys. She went out into the front yard and walked around to the driveway where Nathan was already stowing Mags into the unlocked car.

“You’ll need to hold her, I think. She won’t hold still. I can drive.” Nathan said.

Handing over her car keys, Sara climbed into the front passenger seat of her little white Nissan and reached back to take Mags from his arms. Leaning forward, Nathan got close to Sara as he gently released the wounded puppy. His breath was on her neck, and Sara chided herself for noticing in such a time as this.

Nathan got into the car and they started across town. He kept turning his head to look over at the two in the passenger seat, apprehension evident on his face. Mags sat with her leg wrapped in a bloodstained towel in Sara’s hand. She was watching the passing lights out the window, turning her head left and right. Sara was hugging her pup and staring straight ahead, her straightened blonde hair tousled. After the third glance from Nathan, she said “Thanks for driving Nathan. I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t here.”

“My pleasure. I mean, not that Mags is hurt. Just that I could help.” He reached over to pet Mags, running his hand along the fur on her back and grazing Sara’s arm. Grabbing the steering wheel again, he continued “Everything is going to be okay Sara.”

Mags turned around and licked her face, almost as if reinforcing his statement. Her cut really wasn’t so bad, it just needed stitches. Sara knew that. She smiled and looked over at Nathan, catching his eyes. He seemed so genuine.

“Yeah, I suppose it is.”