It seemed to me, that this new mommy and daddy really needed some tips on staying in one spot for a length of time. The only time of day that they were, was at night time, about an hour before bed. Im still not sure what it is they do, but they're back and forth and up and down the stairs all day long. Well that's on their 'Home' days.

It must have been on or about the second day I was at my new home. I still hadn't been down there yet. I preferred to sleep at the top of the stairs on a mat. Something about those stairs just didn't seem safe. I knew I was invited but still I chose to stay put. I would often lay at the top of the stairs watching down to see where mommy went during the day. She was never down there for long. I vaguely recognized the sounds of a washing machine from my past. I could smell soap, 'people' used in that machine. The moment mommy came back up the steps, I was on her heals at once, to get all the smells of downstairs from her. She never really went overboard to acknowledge me. She always said,"Hi King, Buddy." Sometimes if she wasn't carrying a clothes basket, she would pat my head and walk into the next room. Except for when she was downstairs, I was always at her heels and never let her out of my sight, even for a single moment. When she walked I got up and followed. If she sat down, I layed at her feet. This was a person who did alot of up and down and back and forth. I really almost wished she would stay put for longer than 5 minutes. I tried to get comfy on a mat or under the table or beside her chair outdoors. Each and every time I got comfy, UP she got and on the move she went again. I watched Molly during these first couple of days. She didn't seem to worry when mommy left the room or walked to the other side of the house. She just layed where she was, and was still there when we returned. I was pretty sure Molly was too young to understand the importance of sticking close by. I could vaguely recall a time in my past when I had turned away once to often and my people never came back. I was determined to never let that happen again.

On this particular day, mom and Molly and I had been outside playing in the yard. We were romping and running around and I was getting a bit tired of Molly's play. I had just flopped down for a rest when I noticed mom was walking away. Well, of course that couldn't happen without me. Molly decided to come as well. We followed mom down a stair well and into a door. She closed the door behind us. As I walked into the house I immediately smelled the 'soap' and heard the machine. There was a couple of mats on the floor and Molly walked right over to one and flopped down on it. There were so many new smells in this place. They were all of mom and dad and Molly yet there was an occassional smell of another dog and other unfamiliar smells as well. My nose was having a furtastic time sniffing them all in. I was just about to join Molly's idea of flopping down on one of the mats. It took me a moment to realize it but, mom had walked to the other side of the room and was going up some stairs. Yipes, I had to run again. There I was at the top of the stairs on the mat I had spent the last few nights sleeping on. I had no sooner realized where I was when mom went back down the stairs and began puttering again. Okay, down I went again, then back up again.
I didn't really know it at the time, but the next few months were going to bring a lot of laying down, getting up, laying down, and getting back up again. My mom was always going from one room to another and back again. She rarely sat down and when she did it usually wasn't for very long. Unless she sat in daddy's chair, then she usually sat long enough for me to catch a few winks. I didn't care how many times she moved around I intended to stick by her like GLUE. Finally she walked into the livingroom and sat on daddy's chair. GOOD! Now I could fall asleep! And sleep I did.

The months have gradually rolled along and now I've settled myself into my new home. I'm learning my mom and dad's routines easily. They don't vary from them much at all. When dad leaves for work, Molly, mom and I always go outside to say goodbye. Mom makes Molly and I stay on the porch while she opens the gate for his truck to leave. We sit quietly and then just before he pulls his truck out of the driveway, Molly lifts her paw and waves "Bye-Bye" to him. I haven't learned that. Mom says she probably won't teach me 'cuz it's kinda hard for me to lift my paw and reposition myself with my 'crooked leg'. She also says I don't need to learn any tricks.
My years have earned me the right to just . . . "BE"
COOL, I can just be 'ME'! I like that!