Here is a little story that is a bit more lighthearted. I wrote this the see if I could look at the world in bad times through the eyes of the family dog. Bosco is quite the puppy to have around when things get bad. Enjoy the story and as always let me know what you think ~ Thanks RVHBPG... The Eyes Have It Bosco was an all-American mutt. Ninety-five pounds of bounding, jumping joy and happiness. The only thing unique about him was the fact that he has one green eye and one blue. He really caught your attention when you saw him. He was built like a brick but could be as gentle as a lamb. When he wanted to be. His thick brown fur was well kept. He liked it that way. He sat in front of the fire with his little boy for many nights tending and grooming his coat. The little boy was the love of his life and although he liked the big man in charge. The little boy was his, he was in charge. The big man being the leader of his pack had taught him many things. He loved doing things for the big man as they always brought praise and tender loving words. He would die for this man, his little boy; all of these people. They were his pack. You had to have a pack to survive out here. He had been in many fights with the wild dogs in the area and had come to be known as a dog not to be messed with by these mutts. They all knew he was in charge and since he had grown up they had avoided his territory. Something bad was happening. He had been outside watching his little boy when the ground began to shake. There was a huge gust of wind and a light so bright in the sky that he laid down on the little boy in an effort to cover him. When he stood the little boy got up and Bosco started pushing him towards the inside as fast as he could. The big man ran over and grabbed the small boy and yelled at Bosco “Inside”. Once inside the rest of the pack was going crazy. Grabbing things and running into the opening by the food bowl down inside of the big dark place. The lights came on when he went down. Still running and crying and grabbing. Bosco did not understand. Crying usually means bad things. He could not think of anything he did wrong and grabbed the little boy’s blankie and ran down with it. He would help he thought. No one said anything so he continued to grab things and go down with them. Soon, there was no more running and grabbing and crying and the big man yelled for him to come. He bounced down into the now well-lit area and the big man pushed him through the opening and closed it shut with a loud thump. All was quite except for the big female in the pack. She just kept whimpering over and over. Every time Bosco tried to get close to comfort her she just pushed him away. He went over to his little boy lying on the floor and curled up by him to keep him safe. The big man called him over and made that funny sound that Bosco took for happiness and the whole pack started doing it. Making that noise and showing their teeth. The big man looked back at the pack and pointed at the pile of stuff Bosco had brought down. The blankie, a phone book and a now leaking two-liter bottle of Coke. The big man grabbed Bosco’s head and gave him that familiar scratch and rub he loved so much. The whole pack was now rubbing and scratching Bosco and boy did he love it. They stayed in this place for a long time. Bosco was unsure of how long. No day or night seemed to be showing itself. He liked all the extra attention and treat’s he was getting. He did not like having to go do his business on the paper they provided. He felt like he was doing something wrong, but the big man let him know that it was OK. Soon enough the big man had gone up and out and was gone for a long time. The pack slept in the big dark room again. When they got up everyone went up. Bosco was taken outside by the big man and walked around his territory. Bosco knew this was as far as he would go for now. He also knew that nothing had better try and come into this area either. They would have Bosco to deal with. As he was walking his rounds he was startled when a small brown dog ran across his area. Bosco jumped and ran towards the small dog. In mid stride he saw why the dog was running. A very large dog was close behind snapping and barking. He jumped and just before the big dog got the little one Bosco had his jaws around the back of the big dog’s neck. They rolled together and just before they stopped Bosco bit down as hard as he could. He heard a crunching sound like when he chewed bones after supper. The big dog did not move. Bosco got up and walked over to the little dog. His neck hair was standing straight up, and he growled low and hard. The small brown dog lies there shaking, crying and bleeding. He walked over and sniffed the little dog. A girl, small and scared. Her ear was torn, and she had several bad bites. The big man walked over and looked at the dead dog and shook his head. “I sure am glad you like me Bosco.” He just rubbed against the big man’s legs. He did not understand except that he thought that what he had done was a good thing. No yelling or getting smacked. So, it must be good. The big man picked up the little brown dog and walked inside. She was up on the table in the kitchen, something he was never allowed to do. The big female was looking over the little dog and was making very low soothing sounds. She was cleaning the little dog and feeding her too. Hey, what about me! I did something good. How about a treat! The big man seeing Bosco walked over to his favorite place. The treat jar and grabbed Bosco a big juicy chewy piece of beef jerky. Bosco grabbed the meat and sat by the table while the little dog was looked after. When the big female was done she sat the little dog down on the floor. She cowered down when Bosco came over. He sniffed her a couple of times. The big man walked over and picked the little dog up and nuzzled her close. Bosco knew then that she had just become part of the pack. Time passed and things changed. Bosco was happy because no one ever left now. They all stayed home all the time. He loved it. The big man and everyone are out digging in the dirt. Bosco was a little frustrated with this. Whenever he dug holes in the grass he got into trouble. Oh well, just keep an eye on things. Bosco knew he would never figure out how these animals think. He did not even understand them most of the time. He knew he was a part of their pack and that was all that mattered. Bosco walked over and laid down in the shade of a big tree. He watched as they all worked. The little man was what he watched most. The little man and little girl dog were playing in the dirt. Boom, Bosco’s ears were ringing as he jumped up and spun to see where the noise came from. The rest of his pack were all using those long sticks that made a big noise and pointing them at the edge of the grass. He ran towards the little man and as he drew close something hit him in his rear leg and knocked him down. He yelped really loud and got back up, he looked back at his rear leg, and he was bleeding. He made his way over to the little man and kept him down. The big man yelled at Bosco. “Bosco, Inside.” Bosco grabbed the little man’s shirt and ran. The little dog followed. The noise stopped a while later and everyone came inside. Bosco was lying on the floor with the little man and the girl dog. He felt very sleepy, and his leg hurt. He felt the big man pick him up and put him on the table in the kitchen. When he woke up he was still on the table. He felt very sleepy, but his leg did not hurt as much. There was this thing on his leg. He could not move it very well. Everyone was there and they all rubbed Bosco very gently. This made him feel very good. The big female leaned down and spoke softly in Bosco’s ear. “You saved my little boy.” He had no idea what this meant but knew that the way the big female had done it. He was being praised, and he felt safe, warm and loved. If you could ever see a dog smile, it would have been then. It took a long time for Bosco to walk again but walk again he did. He spent a lot of time with the little man and the little girl dog. He had much to teach her about his pack. After all, if he was expected to do things then she would be too. Both his little man and little girl dog grew. Bosco had slowed down some but was still in charge of these two. He taught the little girl how to hunt, guard and protect the rest of the pack. She had learned well and was now as big as Bosco. She challenged him from time to time for the lead. But Bosco was still top dog. Many years passed and Bosco now had a little dog of his own. He trained him every day. His little man now had a baby of his own and Bosco watched over everything. He stayed by the inside more than ever if he were needed and looked after his pack the best he could. He lay in the sun and slept while his little man played, and his mate nuzzled and cleaned his coat. Even though his legs were slow and his muzzle grey, Bosco was one happy puppy…
