“When are they going to get here?” Olivia asked Trudy.
I lifted my head from Trudy’s lap where I’d been comfortably resting. Trudy has long nails and knows just the right way to scratch underneath a dachshund’s collar. Of all my owners, she gives the best massages and rubdowns.
“Olivia, they will be here soon. I know you are excited about seeing your cousins, but you are going to wear yourself out before they get here if you don’t calm down,” Trudy said with a laugh.
“But I can’t wait to see them!” Olivia bounced around the living room, clapping her hands, while her red hair swished around her. “It’s been a long time.”
“I know. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone, too.”
“I can’t wait for them to meet Oliver.”
Trudy stopped scratching my neck, and I heard her take a deep breath. “About that…Olivia, we may need to keep Oliver and Schatze away from the company. Some kids aren’t very good around dogs and we need to make sure that they understand the right way to treat puppies. Besides, my brother, Uncle Michael, has a phobia about dogs.”
“What’s a phobia?”
“It’s when you have a fear of something, like spiders or snakes. Uncle Michael was bitten by a dog when he was about your age and never quite got comfortable being around them again.”
“But that was a long time ago. You and Uncle Michael are, like, a hundred years old or something.”
“I don’t think so, missy!” Trudy laughed. “We are not a hundred years old!”
“Well, I bet Uncle Michael will take one look at little Oliver and fall in love.” Olivia came over to pat me on the head.
“I don’t know, sweetie. It was a small dog that bit Uncle Michael and sometimes phobias are hard to let go of.” Trudy sounded doubtful. “We’ll see. But I think we need to keep Oliver and Schatze out of sight when they first get here.”
“Okay, mommy.”
Hmph! My feelings were hurt. I mean, I would never bite anyone! Especially someone I just met. In fact, Olivia’s father, Jack, was fond of saying that I never met a stranger. Everyone is a friend to me. Except cats. They stink, are obnoxious, and have no place in a smart, puppy’s life. Even the scent of them makes me…a little crazy. But other than cats, I love everyone. We’d just see about Uncle Michael and his silly phobia…
Thirty minutes later, my mother, Schatze and I were put in Olivia’s bedroom. The doorbell rang and the sound of excited voices came from the other side of the door. There was the deep rumble of a man’s voice, probably Uncle Michael, along with a softer woman’s voice and the high pitched cadence of kids. The sounds were enough to get my whining. I love people! What dachshund doesn’t? I really couldn’t help the strong desire in me to get out there and be part of the action.
“Easy, Oliver,” Momma said when I pawed at the door. “They won’t like you scratching up the door. Be patient, pup.”
“But I want to know what’s going on out there.”
“They are just visiting with each other. Uncle Michael and his family come here once a year. Michael is Trudy’s brother.”
“I know. I heard he doesn’t like dogs.”
“No. He doesn’t. I’ve tried for years to get him to warm up to me with no luck. Some people just aren’t dog people.”
“That’s sad.”
“I agree. But I think he likes cats.”
“What?”
“Yep. Sometimes I’ve smelled the scent of feline on him.”
“Does Trudy know?” I was shocked to think that a family member of Trudy’s would provide safe harbor for cats.
“I don’t know, Oliver. What I’m trying to say is that not everyone likes us dogs and you must be patient. Don’t force the relationship or you’ll only make it worse.”
I pouted and put my head down on my paws as I stared at the door. How could anyone not like dogs? That just seemed so…wrong.
After a few minutes, I heard Olivia right outside the door. She was talking to someone.
“Okay, wait till you see my new puppy, Bryce. He’s so cute!”
The door opened, causing Momma and I to sit up expectantly. Olivia and a little boy with blonde hair came into the room. The boy looked to be about Olivia’s age and just as they were shutting the door, another little boy pushed in behind them.
“I wanna see too!” the pushy boy said and shoved past Olivia. He was much shorter and looked like a younger version of the first boy. Probably brothers.
“Uh-oh,” Momma whimpered behind me. “I forgot about him. That’s Kevin. He’s gotten taller since last year, but you might want to be ready to run.”
Kevin spotted me. He pointed his finger and said, “Puppy! Want to pet puppy!”
He toddled very unsteadily over to me, and before I could decide what the best course of action would be, he squatted down and smacked me on the back.
“Puppy!” He shouted.
“Oh, be careful, Kevin,” Olivia said, coming to my rescue and scooping me up. “Oliver is a puppy. You have to be gentle with him. See, I’ll show you.”
She stroked my head very softly, and I rewarded her with kisses.
“Want to pet puppy, too!” Kevin said, coming towards me. His older brother grabbed his hand before he could give me another swat. “Let go, Bryce.”
“No hitting the dog,” Bryce said. He rolled his eyes at Olivia. “He’s nothing but a three-year-old pain in the rear.”
“I think your little brother is cute,” Olivia said.
Cute? As Kevin yanked my ears as hard as he could, I found little about him that was cute. I glanced down at the floor and saw Momma had taken shelter in the closet. The tip of her nose peeked out from beneath one of Olivia’s discarded dress up outfits.
“Don’t pull on the puppy’s ears,” Olivia said. “That hurts him.”
No kidding! Thankfully, he let go of my ears. But then he grabbed my tail. The yank he gave it made me yelp.
“Puppy funny,” Kevin said and then laughed.
I couldn’t help it. I growled.
Kevin’s eyes grew wide and big fat tears started to fill them. His lower lip trembled, and then he opened his mouth. The most awful wail I’ve heard came out of that kid!
Trudy and Jack rushed into the room, followed by another man and woman. The man took one look at me and pursed his lips. The woman picked up Kevin and began to soothe him. I wagged my tail at her, hoping someone would soothe me, too.
“What happened?” Trudy asked.
“Aw, nothing Aunt Trudy,” Bryce said with a shrug. “Kevin yanked on the dog’s ears and tail. Oliver just gave him a warning growl.”
“He didn’t bite him or anything.” Olivia looked at the man. I figured he must be Uncle Michael. “Don’t worry. He won’t catch a phobia like you.”
“Olivia!” Trudy’s face flushed pink. “Mind your manners. Why don’t you take Oliver outside?”
Good idea. I was ready to get as far away from cry baby Kevin as possible!
*****
Later that afternoon Uncle Michael came outside. He sat on the back porch, puffing on a cigarette. I watched him carefully from beneath the bush where I was laying. Because of him and that silly Kevin, I’d been banished to the back yard “for my own good.” Momma had lucked out, managing to stay hidden in the closet. They’d closed the security latch of the doggy door, forcing me to stay outside and entertain myself.
Uncle Michael spotted me. I gave him a tentative tail wag but didn’t move any closer. He frowned and tilted his head to the side. Too my surprise, he called out, “Come here, boy.”
Immediately, I hopped up and trotted over to him. As I approached, I could almost smell his fear of me. The scent of it spread like a weird perfume, and I paused a few feet away, unsure of what to do. I had no intention of harming him, and I’d only growled at Kevin as a warning to stop hurting me. I wagged my tail and tried to look friendly.
I was just about to move closer when a new smell stopped me. My nose wiggled, curious. This new smell was also coming from Uncle Michael, and it mingled with the scent of fear in a bad way. I couldn’t help but think I’d smelled this scent before.
That’s when I saw it. A lone cat hair glinting on the sleeve of Uncle Michael’s shirt. It was true then! He was a cat lover, a keeper of feline evil. Oh the injustice! How could he go over to the dark side and be related to someone as kind as Trudy?
Our friendship was over before it even begun.
The growl started low in my throat. It rumbled louder as my finely tuned dachshund senses were enveloped by the stench of cat.
Grrrrr…..
Uncle Michael’s face turned white. He stood up slowly and backed away, cigarette still in hand. He stubbed it out in a nearby plant and then quickly disappeared inside.
I barked after him, making sure he knew that he wasn’t to come back outside smelling like that. He may have had a phobia about dogs, but I had one about cats. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t take control over my fears. I returned to my bush, satisfied that I’d made my point. Sure, I might have to stay outside the whole time they were here, but it would be worth it.
No cat lover was going to get the best of me!
****
(…to be continued)
Related posts:
- Puppy Tails – Oliver Meets the Vet
- Puppy Tails – Oliver Explores
- Puppy Tails – Oliver the Supermodel
- Puppy Tails – Oliver Gets Motion Sickness
- Puppy Tails – Oliver Worries
