Down the Rabbit Hole

Good Dog, Bad Dog

As I continue to struggle to write anything of particular interest and value, I am wondering if my block has more to do with me or the fact that the world seems trapped in the longest winter on record. If it isn't blizzards and ice storms, it is torrential rain and winds so fierce that they make the pictures on my sill topple over each time they slam against the window panes. At least the flood waters will wash away what's left of the snow. The best part of today is going to be trying to get my little dog to pee outside, with cold rain and high speed winds, that is not bloody likely. How I loathe that little dog these days!

Turk has several bad habits but he is small, defenseless and dependent. He was our first "baby" and I suppose we are the route cause of a lot of his issues. No matter how frequently I threaten to oust him, he still manages to find a way into my lap and back into my heart at the end of even the most challenging day. He tucks his tiny red head under my arm and wiggles his stump of a tail and I momentarily forget that he's torn apart the garbage again, ate another diaper, peed on my humidifier. I momentarily forget that were it not for him, we would probably be enjoying new plush wall to wall carpeting or that Jaden would still have some of her favorite stuffed animals intact and non-eviscerated. Ricky, our handsome, burly shepard/pit mix rescue is so well-behaved that it serves to magnify Turk's shortcomings. Ricky's only real crime is that he is clumsy and easily distracted by shiny things or things that crinkle like potato chip bags. I have been mowed down more than once in his fumbling, sudden pursuit of phantom treats.

Together Turk and Ricky are study in opposites, big/small, quick/lumbering, good/bad. Their common ground, and by far the best trait about both of them is they are gentle with Jaden. Jaden loves her puppies but it is Turk that engages and delights her. Undeterred by her sudden squeals and the cumbersome movements of a growing toddler, Turk runs excited circles around her, poking at her playfully and sending her into fits of giggles with his happy scampering. It is no wonder our little girl's first word was "Turk". Watching the two of them together, it is easy to see the budding love affair, the endearing friendship. And while Turk so often provokes my cursing and threats, it these moments, he inspires my unending love and gratitude.