Happy Family

“Well, you’re looking very proud of yourself,” JoLee said.

Lucy lay in the sunshine, panting slightly, propped up on her elbows, her front feet crossed demurely. Her puppy fuzz was starting to turn into real fur – it had started with her tail, and was progressing up her body, so now her head and a wide stripe down her back all the way to the tip of her tail was shiny blue-black. Next to the new fur in the sunlight, the fuzz on her sides almost looked brownish-purple. She flopped over on her side and then rolled luxuriously. Her pale tummy looked flawless – no scar from her surgery could be seen. She finished rolling, looked at Jo and grinned. She said, “Have you looked at Mom lately?”

Jo thought about that. “Well, not really to pay any attention. I’ve noticed she and Dad have been enjoying lying in bed with us in the morning, and that these days Mom is usually singing Dog Songs when she makes our Burger Bites.” His mouth watered slightly at the thought, and he licked his lips. “What should I be noticing?”

“Her eyes. The circles under her eyes are almost gone, and it’s all because of me!” She grinned happily.

Elbie backed out of the hole he was working on under the lilac bush. “Why is it because of you?” He sat down and scratched behind one ear. “I noticed it, too, but I thought it was probably because that heart medication seems to be working on me.” He trotted over to another nice patch of sunlight and laid on his back, wriggling like a fish. “Are you quite sure it’s because of you?”

Lucy grinned even wider at the sight of the dirt on Elbie’s nose. Then a teeny frown appeared on her narrow face as she considered what he’d said. “Well, I just kind of thought it was because I’m all healed up from my surgery and I am now officially what Mom calls ‘reliably housetrained.’ That means she can sleep all night, as long as Dad doesn’t wake her up when he comes to bed.” She sat up a little straighter, looked down her long nose at the Boyz and raised one eyebrow. “And I’ve been really careful not to bite her on the nose anymore!”

JoLee laughed. “Well, for sure I would think that would be the case, after the other night!” The three of them had all been sitting on the couch with Mom when Lucy’s Evening Zoomies started. While she was roughhousing, Lucy reached up and hooked a canine into one of Mom’s nostrils – and you can just bet Mom hollered then! Lucy had spent the rest of that entire evening looking guilty.

Jo got up and did a Doga stretch – first the front legs, and then the back legs, and then shook vigorously. “Did you guys stop to think that maybe it’s because we’re all getting along so well? You know what? It doesn’t matter why - Mom is much happier these days, and that makes me happy, too!”