I Laid Down The Law!

June 6, 2011 at 8:06 am · Filed under Family, Mostly true, Stories ·Tagged author, Charles L. Mashburn, devotions, Dockers, dog tails, encouragement, family, funny, good old days, humor, i laid down the law, laughter, laying down the law, love, Pennies From Heaven, story, writer

I write a lot about our old dog, Dockers; I have lots of little “tails” to tell about her. She has been a wonderful pet and companion, and I am compelled to admit I was not happy when Sherry brought her home. I didn’t really want a pet because they can tie you down—especially a small dog that gets so attached to you she becomes a nervous wreck every time you leave her.

The first night she was with us, I laid down the law about how we were the masters and she was the dog—not to her, mind you, but to Sherry. Sherry was most agreeable, nodding her smiling approval to everything I said.

When it came time for bed—the puppy, by the way, had spent most of that first day in one of our laps—I made her a bed in the laundry area, and fixed a make-shift barrier so she couldn’t get out. I told Sherry, quite sternly, the dog would not sleep with us, no matter how much she cried and whined. Sherry agreed that was the way it should be.

We’d only been in bed a few minutes before the whimpering began. Sherry looked at me and I told her we had to ignore it. The pup would settle down and go to sleep. I couldn’t stand it.

I’m a big softy when it comes to puppies, and after about five minutes of the pitiful whimpering and crying, I got up and got the shirt I’d had on that afternoon. I told Sherry I’d put the shirt in the pup’s bed, and my smell would comfort her.

I held the tiny puppy, petted her, then laid her gently on my shirt and started to walk away. Not happening; she began to whimper again immediately, and her plaintive cries were tearing my heart out. I picked her up and took her to our room. She crawled down under the sheets and snuggle between our feet, where she would sleep, almost every night, for the next fourteen, or so, years. Sherry still likes to rib me about it.

 

Permalink