Lately when Mommy and I go for walks, it is not much fun. We used to walk and run and now we only walk, if that's what you want to call it. Mommy goes so slowly that it feels like a step and a stop and a step and a stop. My four legs have a hard time walking slowly enough to stay next to her when she says, "Heel." Sometimes I try to go a little faster and then Mommy gets annoyed. "Ethel Frances, I said Heel! Remember? I shouldn't have to tell you a million times."
Wow! I wish I knew what happened to Mommy and our walks. That used to be my favorite time because I had Mommy all to myself, without my sisters, but it isn't anymore. After we started our walk last night, I got tired of walking like Edna Louise, the neighborhood Shih Tsu, with her little baby steps. I looked at Mommy and backed up and took off running. Mommy couldn't hold on to the leash because I am as strong as an ox -- whatever that means. I just hear Mommy say that when she talks about me. I ran in circles, careful not to go in the street and while I was enjoying myself I heard my mommy yell -- and I do mean yell -- "Ethel Frances! Ethel Frances Miller! You get back here right now! Do you hear me? You better get over here or else..."
I did go over to Mommy but not until I was finished running. I ran and sat in front of her and I smiled and said with my face and tail, "Here I am Mommy. I came to you just like you wanted." My mommy is smart and she knew I was trying to make her think I obeyed her. What she said next surprised me and made me feel bad. She said, "Ethel Frances, I know you miss our fast walks and I know you miss running but my legs hurt right now and I just can't do it. I will get better and we will be able to do those things again but it might take a little while. Do you understand me, Honey?"
As soon as I heard Mommy say "hurt" I felt bad. I know what that means because last week I walked over to Mommy on three legs instead of four. She said, "Ethel Frances! What happened to your leg? How did you hurt it?" She rubbed my leg and took me to the doctor and I got medicine that tasted very good -- and it made my leg feel better, too. So I understand about legs that hurt. When my leg hurt, Mommy helped me. When her legs hurt, I was not nice. I looked up in Mommy's face and leaned against her and my tail was pointing down instead of up and it was still instead of wagging. "Mommy, I am sorry your legs hurt and I am sorry I didn't listen. Will you forgive me, Mommy? Please will you?"
Mommy bent down and gave me a big hug and kiss. "I know you are sorry, Ethel Frances, and I forgive you. Let's go home and have dinner." We went home, slowly, and Mommy put our dinner in our bowls. She gave me mine first and then she went in the other room and gave LuLu and Izzy theirs.
While she was in the other room I noticed she left her dinner on the counter. I could smell it and it smelled so delicious. I thought for a minute and I said, "Ethel Frances, you are already in trouble so you might as well go ahead and eat her dinner!" And so I did.
You can probably figure it out the rest of this story for yourself so I won't go into any details, but I will tell you that it wasn't very pretty. Next time I will try harder to be good.
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