By now you know, I am a Hot Dog with ‘The Gift‘. So one day Momma got out the photos and showed me pictures of Tammy and Teddy and their puppies. Just by looking at the pictures, I know the stories, even before Momma lays them down.
What always strikes me first, is that in many of the pictures both Teddy and especially Tammy have big grins on their faces, like the cat who swallowed the cream. Meanwhile, Momma tells me I look sanctimonious in most shots, like I feel superior to the Two Footed and definitely the Four Footed. I am and do!
I am of two minds when it comes to puppies. I know, I know, what is not to love, still… are they cuter than me? Would I look like yesterdays leftovers if I stood beside them? Would they give me the respect a five-year old Havanese with questionable pedigree deserves? Would I be expected to share my Toys, my Momma and my Wonder Boy? If you are a Google Analytic Graph freak like Momma or just insecure like me, there is a lot to ponder.
When I saw the photos of Miss Tammy’s and Sir Teddy’s puppies, my heart stopped. They were like little fluffy munchkins from a light cream to white to bright white with black rimmed brown eyes, shoe polish black snouts and ears trying desperately to stand up straight. Then they develop those beautiful full tails that fan over their backs as they get older. I tell you, if I had been here when they were born, I would not have been able to resist them. It just makes me wonder why (okay, maybe I question, when I should listen) Momma decided to buy a Havanese instead of an American Eskimo? Oh, yes, the Havanese have the added bonus of not shedding. Phew! There are just some things in your DNA that are a blessing, although your own contribution to the cause was non-existent.
In any case, first came Angel Dog Teddy, then Tammy. Next there is Tammy with a baby carriage – not that fast. About one year, lots of vet visits, Teddy’s contribution and nature took its course. Tammy, although small, was very capable and had four puppies, in her whelping box, one day, when all the family was away at work and / or school. No one knows if Teddy contributed much to the process, but let us say this. When Daddy and Wonder Boy came home that night, Teddy was laying outside the whelping box head between his paws, looking majestically proud, his eye balls following the stumbling puppies as they found a comfortable spot and suckled their Mama.
Within a short while, four very distinct personalities developed and the puppies were named according to what they brought to the table. There was Lucky-Plucky, always happy and involved in whatever mischief he could find. A good day was when he could get his siblings to join him. Casper the Friendly Ghost was the runt of the litter. He had all Teddy’s good looks, with Tammy’s petiteness. Casper went to the family of Momma’s Sister-Who-Taught-Her-Most-the Things-She-Knows. Though small, he was fierce and felt every bit as big as a Dalmatian or a German Shepherd and was quick to get the upper hand (but not bite it).The only female was Ba-Ba-White-Sheep, so named because she followed her Mama Tammy every where she went who followed Momma everywhere she went. Tammy was always ready to jump in and help out with women’s work, while Teddy, laid in the corner, ignoring that work existed and staying as far as possible from any involvement. Finally came Woolly Bully, a Gentle Giant of a puppy who resembled a Ram without the horns. At birth he was twice as big as Casper. His light cream fur was thick and luxuriant. RIP Daddy was his chosen Master. It was heart wrenching for Daddy when Woolly Bully left for his Forever Home.
Once they had all found their new family, a meeting was called in order (blame Momma and her need to analyse past data scientifically, to move forward). Momma, RIP Daddy and Wonder Boy sat around the kitchen table, Angel Dog Teddy at Momma’s side, Tammy between Wonder Boy and RIP Daddy. The family cats sat up straight, a couple of feet back, following the conversation carefully.
Momma said no more puppies, look how tired and skinny Tammy was. Daddy, said, ‘please’, then he looked in Tammy’s weary eyes. She had been a good Mama to new-born puppies but when they found their sea legs, they exhausted her, like her male siblings had so many years ago. Teddy had stepped up and set them straight when and if it was the right day, the right time and if he felt like it. Other times they just were not on his horizon. He ignored them. Also Momma could not sleep at night, worrying that the new families would not be able to give Tammy’s puppies the home they deserved.
Once the puppies were older and being fed kibble, come afternoon Tammy would go nap with Angel Dog Teddy on their large pillow. The Family Cats would take over… grooming and cuddling up with the puppies in the dog cages. They all would fall to sleep in a state of bliss, where all mankind recognized the goodwill created in steadfast homes. If only, I could have, I would have, helped Tammy with those precious little balls of fluff. Could poor Tammy have suffered with those postpartum blues some Mom’s get? I’d better investigate if that is possible!
And so it was decided, so it was written, read my lips, ‘no more puppies’. It was off to the vet for both Angel Dog Teddy and Miss Tammy, to remove their baby making apparatus. Now Tammy could look forward to a life of leisure.
So many asked Momma was Tammy upset when her last puppy left. No, no, no. To paraphrase the Great Martin Luther King, Jr., Tammy seemed to be expressing, ‘Free at last, Free at last. Thank God Almighty, free at last!’
