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| My baby Ruth and her puppy Lily |
Ruth called the third week in July. “Mom, I bought a puppy.”
“I didn’t know you wanted a pet.”
My youngest daughter lives in a house with more windows than timber. Enough to make a mother worry and suggest a dog might be a good idea for safety’s sake. But I held my tongue.
“Oh, I’ve been thinking about a puppy for a while, but I couldn’t take on the responsibility until after surgery.”
Running on the fumes of her rock-solid resilience for months, the surgery took place the second week in June, not one day too soon. Recovery laid Ruthie low a few weeks, but she bounced back in July like my spattering of snapdragons each summer.
“Boy or girl?” I asked.
“Girl. The breeder named her Lily. She’s wonderful, Mom.”
Quick and true, the force of my child’s sentiment recalled my puppy Sweetie—the steadfast joy and companionship a little ginger-colored cocker spaniel offered my growing family for eleven years.
“What’s Lily’s breed?”
“A black lab with the cutest eyes.”
“Melts your heart, doesn’t she?”
“Oh yes, I’m smitten. I pick her up tomorrow. I can’t wait to drive her out to the farm for you to meet her. She loves to run.”
I remembered Shadow, our neighbor’s black lab who brought his ball to me whenever I appeared in my perennial island. For eight years Shadow and I played toss and fetch until my neighbor asked a tough question one day.
“Iris, Shadow has arthritis in his hips. After he chases the ball, he cries all night in pain. Would you please not throw the ball for him when he brings it to you?”
I hope and pray Lily didn’t inherit the lab’s arthritic DNA. I’d love to play toss and fetch with her for a good, many years.
It was Saturday, September 5, when Ruth and Lily arrived. Ruth carried into my kitchen the equivalent of a baby’s diaper bag filled with Lily’s toys, and whatever else Ruth reckons necessary to fulfill her duty as a conscientious and loving pet owner.
Before we sat down for brunch, Ruth said, “Sit,” to Lily.
And Lily did—perhaps one reason why some folk prefer pets to children.
We cleared the table. Out came the tennis ball. Lily went running downhill. Her paws propelling above the grass and tongue lolling to the side solicited our admiration.
“Mom, let’s take a walk on the road,” Ruth said.
“Doesn’t Lily need a leash?” I asked.
“No. She won’t run off.”
And Lily didn’t.
“Isn’t she cute how she sniffs and wags her tail?” Ruth asked.
I laughed. “You’re talking like a proud mother.”
Later, Ruth put Lily in the passenger seat.
“No seat belt?” I teased.
Dear Reader, Lily looked to me with her puppy dog eyes.
What’s not to love about my grand-dog? I lavished Lily with affection while Ruth fed her treats and handled the potty pick up.
Moreover, I beheld my baby’s beautiful, blue eyes for three hours.
