My little son was nursed by a shorthaired pointer. He took his first steps, holding on to the tail of a spaniel, a German shepherd was rolling him on a sled, but he fell in love once and for all with a beagle.
I am tolerant of animals. Especially if they are strangers. In my childhood there were, of course, hamsters, fish and parrots, but I was not attached to any pet. But my son doted on the one-year-old Sherri. And when she was hit by a car, he grieved for a long time, taking offense at everyone around. Not knowing how to calm an upset child, I promised to give him a dog for his birthday. Then it did not happen, but now he again asked for the dog, already as a gift for the New Year. Of course, a beagle, this breed was our Sherry.
Now, looking back, I just can’t understand what I was thinking when I started looking for a dog, and even went to kennels and private owners to look at applicants for the title of a future family member.
The choice in our city is small. Therefore, we rode in search of a suitable animal for a short time. Zhorik was a little over three months old. The owners described him as an obedient puppy, accustomed to eating homemade food. He did not chew on shoes, he was playful and cheerful.
And then day X has come. My son started preparing the apartment for a meeting with Zhorik, and I went to get the dog. The hostess, wiping away her tears, kissed the boy on the wet nose, fastened the leash and handed it to us. In the car, the dog behaved perfectly. Slightly shifting in the seat, he settled down on my knee and snored peacefully all the way.
Excited Vovka was waiting for him at the entrance. For about 20 minutes they frolicked in the snow, getting used to each other. Strange, but even in the morning I felt that something was wrong: I was shaking with a small tremor for some unknown reason. The thought that something was wrong did not let me go, even when I washed Zhorik’s paws and let him sniff our home. But I had no idea what awaited me next.
Yes, I forgot to say: I have two sons. Every evening my house turns into a war arena. Two super active guys, one of whom is returning from school (just Vovka), and the second from kindergarten, begin to win back their territory from each other. They use pillows, pistols, guns, pinches, bites, boxing gloves and everything that comes to hand. The first 10 minutes I try to pacify their ardor, as the neighbors have become frequent guests in my apartment, and then, realizing that everything is pointless, I hide in the kitchen behind household chores and wait until everything calms down.
With the appearance of the dog, everything changed somehow. Zhorik attracted all our attention. At that time, however, Vovka renamed him, having come up with the stupid nickname Noise. But not the point. We did not manage to eat calmly that evening: the dog all the time strove to fit his nose into someone’s plate. Every now and then I had to get up from the table and show the puppy where he belonged. If you think that I did not feed him, then this is not so. He ate three bowls of soup in three seconds and grinded it with a sausage. More than enough, I think. And then Zhorik thanked me. He placed his gratitude right in the middle of the carpet in the hall.
My eyes seemed to be covered with a veil. The son, seeing that a hysteria was approaching his mother, got dressed in a minute, fastened the leash to Noizik and ran with him for a walk outside. The puppy was happy for the third time in the last couple of hours – snow, barking, squealing. Returning home, the son admitted that the dog had not done important things. The thought began to beat in my brain: where is he going to do this? On the carpet? On the kitchen floor? On a rubber bath mat? At the front door? And, most importantly, when? Now or all night?
My head ached. I drank a tablet of citramone. It usually helps almost immediately. But that time it was different. Our usual routine was bursting at the seams. The clock showed 23:00. The dog was in a playful mood. He gladly tore the soft bear and made one after another attempt to jump onto the sofa.
The kid was capricious, Vovka turned on the owner and tried to calm Noyzik down, ordering him to go to sleep in a stern voice. Either the dog didn’t like the place, or he didn’t like to sleep at all, only time passed, and calmness did not come to him. The son decided to use force, but this did not help either. However, it gave me the opportunity to put the baby to bed. Having wiped sweat from my forehead and drank the second tablet of citramone, I looked into Vovka’s room. He, smearing tears on his face, lamented: “Well, please, well go to bed.” I felt sorry for him.
“Son, what are you doing, calm down. He needs to get used to us, and we need to get used to him, ”I myself did not believe in what I was saying.
“Now that I will never, never have free time?” He asked me with hope in his voice.
“No, it will not. Tomorrow the star will start at all, ”I added in a low voice. To myself, I didn’t say anything out loud, I just stroked my son on the head.
My son is an incredible sleepyhead. On weekends, he sleeps until 12, and it doesn’t matter if he fell asleep at 9 or at midnight. It is very, very difficult to wake him up.
Leaving him to think, I went to finish the household chores. The puppy volunteered to accompany me. Once in the kitchen, he sat down in front of the refrigerator and began to whine. Here is a glutton! I gave him food. Who knows, maybe he needs to eat before bedtime? After licking the bowl until it was crystal clear, he played out again. But he was not interested in having fun alone, and he went straight to the youngest’s bedroom. Of course, he woke up.
And my apartment at 12 at night was again filled with laughter, screeching and stomping. My hands dropped. I, in the hope that the former mistress will reveal the secret of a miraculous sleeping pill, wrote to her: “How to put the dog to bed?” To which she received a short answer: “Turn off the light.”
Is it that simple? I was delighted. It’s finally over now. We went to bed with the baby. Five minutes later, he sniffed sweetly, and I listened to the night adventures of Noisik. He was undoubtedly looking for something and had no intention of packing.
Finally, my elder fell asleep – put on headphones and calmly departed into the arms of Morpheus. I was in a panic and didn’t know what to do. I wanted to sleep brutally, my legs gave way from fatigue, my eyes were sticking together. But I couldn’t relax and allow myself to sleep. After all, a monster unfamiliar to me wandered around the apartment, which God knows what could throw out at any moment.
And then I heard a howl. The dog settled down at the front door and began to whine in different ways. He was clearly asking to go home. I made a decision with lightning speed: that’s it, it’s time to put an end to our relationship. Of course, as a rational person, I weighed the pros and cons. Here are just opposite to one “for” there were many “against”. What did the communication with the dog give us during these five hours?
Me – a headache, insomnia and hassle, and the boys – a dozen scratches from the sharp claws of an overly playful puppy.
No, no and NO. I’m not ready for this noisy tailed animal to settle in my apartment. Because I know: I will have to get up at six to feed and take a walk with him, and for the last three years I have had chronic fatigue syndrome. And I decided to do as it is written in smart books on psychology: listen to my true desires and fulfill them.
Without hesitation, I dialed the hostess’s number: “Natalya, I’m sorry it’s so late. But we did something stupid. Your dog is not for us. We’ll be right there. “
I looked at my watch. It was 2 nights. I called a taxi.
The next morning the kid didn’t even ask about Noisik. Vovka burst into flammable tears and did not go to school. And I, happy that I no longer have a dog, was going to work.