Lucy-Fur Strikes

 

“Well, kids, I have to go help your Daddy finish up moving his shop.”  Mom went to the Hoosier in the foyer to get each pup a piece of jerky, the usual way these things work.  JoLee was already in his crate, knowing Mom’s “leaving voice,” and Elbie and Lucy were both standing there at Mom’s feet looking imploring up at her, while Dad waited on the front porch.   

Mom gave each pup a piece of jerky and left, quietly closing the front door behind her. 
  

For a few minutes, the only sound was chewing, along with the TV.  Dad had left it on the Comedy Channel for some background noise. 
  

Then, Lucy stood and stretched.  “Well, this sucks,” she stated flatly.  “Mom’s been doing this all week!  This was ‘Going To The Lake Night.’  I need a run!”
   

Jo and Elbie just sighed.  Jo picked a piece of jerky from between his teeth with his paw.  “Well, there’s nothing that can be done about it, Lucy, so you might as well just get another nap in.  They’ll be back eventually – they always are!”  
 

Elbie jumped up in the Command Chair and put his head down on his paws, facing the front door so he would know the moment when Mom and Dad got home.  Jo jumped up on the couch, and got comfortable.  But Lucy was restless.  She grabbed a piece of rawhide, ran out the dog door and did a few laps around the Big Piney, and then came back in and flopped down on the floor in the living room.  “Are they back yet?”  she panted.  
 

“Nope, not yet.”  JoLee replied.  
 

“It’ll be a while longer, I suspect,” Elbie added.  
 

Lucy ran upstairs.  She was gone for a while – long enough for Elbie and Jo to wonder what she was up to.  Odd thumping and bumping noises could be heard.  When Lucy came back down, there were black shreds hanging from her lips.  
 

“What was that?”  Jo asked.  “Lucy, what have you been doing?”  
 

“Uh, nothing,” Lucy looked a little guilty, but more defiant.  “Nothing that Mom didn’t deserve, anyway!”  She ran back out the dog door.  Jo put his head back down and closed his eyes.  “I don’t even want to know what she’s been up to,” he said.  
 

The next time Lucy came running back in, she looked at the TV and said, “I don’t like that guy.  Why do we have to watch this stupid show, anyway?  I’m going to change channels!”  She snatched the remote up from the table next to Dad’s Biscuit Chair.  Jo’s eyes got big, and he said, “Lucy, I don’t think you should be - ”  
 

Just about then, there was a crunching noise.  Lucy threw the remote up in the air and caught it neatly, then bit down on it again.  Little pieces flew all over the living room carpet.  
 

“Hey, this is fun!”  Lucy grabbed another remote – this time the one for the volume.  (crunch, crunch)  
 

Elbie groaned.  “This is bad.  This is very bad.” 
 

“I don’t care.”  Lucy declared.  “They shouldn’t have been gone all day and then left us again.  She bit down on it again.  And again.  More little pieces of black plastic piled up around her. 
 

It wasn’t too much later when Jo heard the Dogmobile.  “Mom is here!  Mom is here!”  He jumped off the couch and ran for the front door, giving a sideways glance at the paper that was shredded all over the rug.  
 

Heavy steps on the porch, and then Mom and Dad both peered in the front door.  “Oh, no,” Mom sighed.  “What has she been up to?  I see Destruction.”  
 

It took most of the rest of the night for Mom to discover all of what Lucy-fur had done, and it wasn’t until she went to bed that she found one of her favorite socks as full of holes as Swiss cheese.  And Star’s blanket, that Auntie Jolie had made her – it was in the middle of the bedroom floor and it had holes in it, too.  Mom looked sad as she picked up the mess.  She stroked the top of Lucy’s head and said, “Well, I guess that’s what we get.  Luckily, the move’s almost over!”  

A Hot Summer Afternoon at the Lake

“Catch me if you can!” Lucy called, as she ran after the Frisbee.

“I’m not even going to try,” Jo replied. He trotted over to the base of the tree nearest the restroom, where Elbie was studying peemail. They both scratched around in the dirt, and then both left their own messages, Elbie’s message being scant inches from the ground, JoLee’s message about a foot above Elbie’s.

Mom was walking toward the picnic shelter, two towels, a couple of bright orange toys (a flying ring and a flying squirrel) and all the leashes in her hands.

“I wonder what’s up with the towels,” Elbie said. “Mom doesn’t usually bring towels out here – she leaves them in the Dogmobile.”

After depositing everything on the picnic table, Mom grabbed the Frisbee and flung it way out in the lake. Both JoLee and Lucy ran for the water, Jo with a sense of purpose on his face; Lucy with a goofy grin on hers. They both swam out to the Frisbee, JoLee scanning the surface of the water, and Lucy splashing around in circles. She’s getting much, much better at swimming, and doesn’t look nearly as dorky as when she first started. Jo finally spied the Frisbee, and once he had it securely in his teeth, Lucy grabbed the other side of it, and together they brought it back to shore!

“Very good!” Mom cheered and clapped her hands. “What good doggies I have!”

After a few more throws – some on land, some into the water, Mom called Elbie to her, clipped his leash on, and led him to the picnic pavilion, where she hooked his leash to one of the posts and locked it in place with another of the leashes. Elbie stood there, a look of uncertainty on his face. “What’s going on? Where are you going?” Mom just gave him a reassuring pat, and then turned and said to Lucy and Jo, “Let’s go swimming!” 

Mom took the orange flying ring toy and waded waist-deep into the water. Lucy and JoLee swam circles around her, and there was lots of laughter and splashing going on. When she threw the ring, it hit the surface of the water and disappeared! Lucy made her way over to where the ring had disappeared and tried to look for it, ducking her head under the water, and snorting. Jo was on the shore, Frisbee firmly between his teeth.

“Huh! I could have sworn that was a floating one,” Mom said, shuffling over to where the ring had disappeared. Her feet were getting stuck in the muck on the bottom of the lake – she was having troubles walking at all, much less finding the bright orange ring. She finally gave up, and waded back to shore.

Elbie was looking a bit anxious and warm, waiting in the shade of the pavilion. And then you could see the idea, as it was being born, on Mom’s face. She detached Elbie’s leash from the pavilion and brought both Elbie and the leash to the water’s edge. Then she unleashed him and carried him out into the water. Elbie didn’t struggle, but he sure didn’t look very excited about this whole idea. And he knew what was coming next, you can believe that! About knee-deep for Mom, deep enough to ensure that Elbie’s whole body would be covered by water, Mom gently set him down. She made sure Elbie’s face was toward the shore, so the water wouldn’t slap him up the nose, and that his back feet could touch the bottom. And then she just held him there, a supporting hand under his chest. Elbie didn’t seem to mind! In fact, when she took her hands entirely off Elbie, he just stood there, the water gently swaying his body, a relaxed look on his face.

“Wow,” he said. “I didn’t know this was what swimming in the lake was like!” He stood there for the longest time, until Mom went to fetch the Frisbee for another toss, and then he made his way to the shore, shook about a gallon of water out of his fur, and started exploring the shoreline again.

Mom, Lucy and Jo splashed their way out of the lake. “Now that we’re all cooled off, let’s go for a little walk!” Mom hooked Elbie back on his leash (since he has a knack for disappearing at inconvenient times) and all four went for a leisurely stroll along the banks.

There was plenty to explore, for sure. A big flock of Canada geese were complaining loudly, and a blue heron looked up from where he was fishing. Elbie investigated the rocks along the banks, just sure he’d find something interesting. Lucy ran from Elbie to Jo to Mom and back again, and Mom kept flinging the Frisbee for her. JoLee was looking closely at something on the ground, and when Lucy ran up to him and asked, “What are you doing?” he looked up, with a big green grin.

“Jo! Your tongue is green!” Lucy gasped. Mom gasped at the same time. “Jo! You’re eating goose poo! Oh, ick!”

Oh, yeah. It was back to the water for everybody!

Later that night, near bedtime, Elbie was snuggled up against Mom on the couch. She ran her fingers through his fur and started laughing. “Elbie, you’re STILL damp! That’s some thick fur you have there!”

It was a great afternoon escape!