intent

I’m bounding in a meadow. In the distance is a jackrabbit who is really fast, but I am faster and I am catching up. The jackrabbit is nervous now and knows that I can run forever and he begins to change direction and then there is the overpowering smell of bacon.

My eyes open and I am no longer in a field. I am in my crate in my new home. I push my nose against the door grate and the smell of bacon is wonderful and close but my crate is locked. So, I lay back down and make my small dog sound, which has a very high pitch, even though I am a very big dog. It is the sound I make when I would like to come out of the crate.

The woman says: “Your dog is growling again. You know I don’t like that.”

He gets up and walks over to my crate and opens the door and says: “You’re not growling are you buddy?” I jump up to greet him.

She says: “You had better teach him not to jump up. What if he does that when the baby is around?”

He says: “ He wouldn’t do that with the baby. Would you bud?”

I jump up to let the man know I like him too!

She says: “Oh he wouldn’t? You are not around. You don’t know. If you don’t want him staying in his kennel all day, you need to teach him not to jump up.”

He walks back to his chair at the table and says: “OK dear, will do. He’s new to us. He’s just learning.” I follow him and go sit next to him. When he is done, he puts his plate on the floor so I can lick some of the wonderful-smelling yellow yolks. Just as my tongue hits the plate, the woman picks it up off the floor, and says: “I don’t want dog tongue on my good china.”

The man pats me and says: “Sorry bud, she’s the boss. You be a good boy today.” He picks up his bag and is gone.

Then there is the sound of the little person in the other room. She looks up, then looks at me and says. “Back in the crate with you.”

So I go back to the crate and get inside. “Well, you are not stupid,” She says.

Now I am going to have another jackrabbit dream, but someday, she will let me lick her plate.

— DanielSouthGate