A Puppy's First Adventure

** Image ID #1277473 Unavailable **

Scruffy raced away from Millicent, all seven pounds of the Brussels Griffon puppy aquiver in excitement. This was the first time she allowed him outside their apartment, and Scruffy easily pulled the loosely held leash out of her hand.

“Scruffy, get back here!” yelled Millicent, trying unsuccessfully to catch her racing puppy. For a minute, she thought she might succeed when Scruffy spotted some Monarch butterflies nearby. They were flitting like orange and black jewels in the field filled with sweet-smelling wildflowers. Scruffy stopped to watch the dancing butterflies, oblivious to the fact his human was getting closer and closer to him.

When Millicent reached down to grab the inquisitive puppy, Scruffy once again took off in a mad dash for freedom, his red leash trailing behind like a long tail. It didn’t stretch the truth to say this breed of dog was known for its stubborn streak. Scruffy was loose and determined to remain that way.

Ahead of the speeding puppy stretched acres of this field, a friendly oasis in the middle of the crowded city. Traffic rumbled in the distance, but the trees surrounding the field muffled the sound and filtered out the fumes from the hundreds of vehicles.

Scruffy ignored Millicent’s repeated calls to slow down. Instead, he picked up speed to aim for an interesting aroma swirling around his sensitive nose. It came from a decayed tree stump, the only remaining section of an old oak tree cut down years ago. Since that time, many dogs had marked this stump as their territory, and it was the tantalizing smell of old and new urine drawing Scruffy onward. When he reached the stump he instinctively raised one hind leg to add his own scent to the mixture after he thoroughly explored the stump.

Leaving the damp stump behind, the puppy took off once again, looking for more fascinating places to investigate. It didn’t take him long to find something. A hollow log lay near a dirt path, and Scruffy started digging underneath it. His two front paws plowed through the packed earth, dirt flying in every direction. His eyes widened when an earthworm, disturbed from its underground home, landed on the ground near him.

Food! Food! or a similar doggy thought went through Scruffy’s mind, and he quickly gulped down the helpless worm. It didn’t taste as good as the kibble Millicent fed him, but he was a dog after all and willing to eat anything. When no more tasty morsels appeared in front of him, he abandoned the log and continued on his way.

Around him he heard the sounds of various wild animals. In a sparkling stream just out of sight behind a stand of trees, fish swam amidst rocks made round and smooth by the flowing water. A deer leaned down to drink from the stream. It darted off at the sight of the small brown puppy bursting out from the trees. Scruffy started to chase the large animal but gave up when it headed back across the field to soon disappear from view. The sight of silvery shapes flashing around in the water brought Scruffy to the bank of the river. An attempt to touch one had him suddenly up to his neck in water when he lost his balance and fell in.

“Scruffy, where are you?” an annoyed voice called out from the opposite side of the trees. This was all he needed to scamper out of the water. A brief stop to shake of any residual river water, and he was off and running in the opposite direction.

For the next hour, Scruffy managed to avoid detection by his increasingly worried owner. He came upon the desiccated body of a fallen bird, but even dogs have their limits in what they’ll eat. When he saw a stray cat sleeping in the late afternoon sun, he decided it would make a great chew toy. Never having seen a cat before, he was unaware that an angry cat can cause major damage. The small Brussels Griffon playfully pounced on the cat, startling it awake. Within seconds, his nose became the target of the cat’s extended sharp claws.

Terrified yelps from the bleeding puppy brought his owner running, while the affronted cat walked slowly away. Her tail was held high in victory, once again having taught a dog that good manners are important.

Millicent finally grabbed the red leash, which was still wet from the river and covered with mud and foxtails from the grass it had been pulled through. She picked up the whimpering puppy and headed back home, saying soft words of comfort the whole way.

Once inside their apartment, Scruffy immediately headed for his food and water bowls. After getting the taste of the worm out of his mouth, the puppy gratefully jumped into his owner’s lap as she settled down to watch television. All in all, it had been a big day for the little puppy, but he was more than happy to be back home, safe from those terrible beasts known as cats.

Word count = 844