Always having a love for puppies, I remember as a six year old I wanted a puppy so bad I could feel the warm fur on my cheek as I gave him a hug. I could smell the breath that small puppies have when they are tiny. I could hear the excited yipping as we ran through the front yard by our house. I could feel the tremble of the little body squirming, wanting down from the trap of my arms. It was a dream I’d had ever since I could remember.
Then one day, my parents made my dreams come true!
We got a small puppy. He was a dark brown color with brown feet; the color of dark soda pop. My parents wanted me to name him. Because of his dark color, I chose Dr. Pepper. We did everything together. All the things about him I’d imagined were happening. We ran in the front yard. We played together in the house; I would get an old towel that Mama didn’t use anymore and play tug-of-war. Dr. Pepper would hold one end in his tiny mouth and I would take the other end, trying to get it out of his jaws.
I began learning about puppy potty training also. It wasn’t easy and Mama helped me a lot. She began teaching me about the responsibility of taking care of puppies when you want them so bad you can feel them. After a lot of hard work, Dr. Pepper learned to potty outside. I’m sure Daddy was really happy about that!
Dr. Pepper and I were always together. We ate together (he would squat beside me and eat his dog food as I sat at the table eating my dinner), we kept each other warm by cuddling on cold days, we sweat together and sprawled out on hot days. Dr. Pepper even helped me open my presents on Christmas morning by helping me tear the paper off my presents. He brought happiness in my life; I remember laughing a lot while Dr. Pepper was around.
When it was time for me to start school, I was so disappointed. I didn’t want to leave Dr. Pepper at home while I was away all day long. It was too long for us to be apart; he needed school too, I explained. I was more tearful about leaving my Dr. Pepper than leaving Mama. It wasn’t bothering me at all to leave Mama; I wanted Dr. Pepper to go to school with me. Mama explained to me in only a way that a six year old can understand about how much of a disruption a puppy would be at school and that he must stay home. When I got back from school, I started reading my homework to Dr. Pepper. I think that puppy became smart like me; I was teaching him everything that I was learning at school since he couldn’t go.
Image via Wikipedia
Image via Wikipedia
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