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Michi was a happy puppy. Born near the end of the winter, she romped and played in the snow with her brothers and sisters during the day and slept tired and content in the warmth of her whelping box at night. As the warm breezes wafted from the south, fields of grass appeared from beneath their winter blanket providing a wealth of new sights and scents for the gleeful puppies. Mom became a little bossy and tried to control their fun, but the other adult Malamutes allowed the puppies to grab their ears and pull their tails and, unless they were completely disrespectful, let them get away with all their puppy antics.
Lots of strangers came to play with the puppies and Michi reveled in the attention. She would follow the first lady around whenever she could, hoping for an extra pat or cuddle. One sunny spring day, a couple stayed to play with her longer than the others. Eventually, they carried her to their car and drove away. Michi cuddled contentedly on the lady's lap. She had been for a ride before and had always ended up somewhere fun. This time, after a very long drive, she found herself in a strange house with no familiar doggy smells. She checked out every corner of the house and the strange yard they let her play in, finally deciding it was kind of fun to have these people and all this space to herself without having to compete with the other puppies.
At the end of a long day, they put her in a crate for the night. Michi was very lonely without the company of her brothers and sisters and cried for awhile. When nobody came to her rescue, she finally fell asleep from exhaustion and never bothered to cry again. She woke up early the next morning, eager to see the new couple again and continue playing in her new yard.
As the days rolled by, Michi got bigger and bigger. The couple took her to obedience class where she had a wonderful time. She especially liked to push around the smaller dogs sometimes and even some of the bigger dogs because they weren't as sure of themselves as she was. But most of all she just liked to go places with the couple; they seemed so happy with her when she did what she was told and they gave her lots of pats and goodies. Every day, they waited for her at the front door until she sat to get her collar and leash on, and then they went for long walks through the neighbourhood. She learned really fast that the quicker she sat still for her collar and leash, the sooner they would go out the door. Sometimes they would walk through the woods and she could chase squirrels and frogs and paddle in the river. But the best part was when they met strangers on their walk. Everyone would come up and pat her and tell her what a good girl she was.
When she was almost full grown, the couple took her to the hospital and left her there all alone. She cried a little at first, but the people at the hospital were also kind so she didn't mind too much. When she woke up from a deep sleep, she felt funny and a little sore. Then the couple came and she was very happy to see them again. They helped her get gently into the car and they all went home together. At first, she didn't want to play very much but, after a good night's rest, she forgot all about the soreness and just enjoyed being at home again with the couple.
Every once in a while after that, the couple would take her back to the hospital for a day where the strangers would put her in a big tub and make her all wet. Then they would put her on a table and brush her all over. They would cut her nails and trim her feet and spray her with something that smelled very clean. Michi got used to the idea that the couple always came back to get her and take her home. She would be very proud of her new appearance and would race around the yard many times, feeling very happy and loved.
The seasons changed from winter to summer and back to winter again and again. Michi was very content with the couple. She would spend her days playing in the yard or lying under her favourite shade tree. They would go for a walk almost every evening and then she would lie close to the couple while they talked or watched the funny talking box that had no smell. At night, she would sleep at the foot of the bed and it made her feel very grown up and secure.
Suddenly, her whole world changed. The lady went away for a few days and returned carrying something strange. It made funny squeaky noises and she could smell the strange powdery smell from across the room. She rushed over to the couple, excited to find out what this strange thing was. Instead of welcoming her with pats and goodies, both the man and the lady yelled at her and the man grabbed her and pushed her into the yard. Michi watched through the window as the couple hovered over the strange thing. From then on, she resolved to find out what this thing was. The more she tried to get near, the more they yelled at her and she found herself spending all her days in the yard.
One day, she saw them by the front door putting on their coats. Michi was very excited. "We're going for a walk," she thought and scratched frantically at the back door. The man yelled at her to be quiet and they closed the front door behind them. Rushing over to the fence at the side of the house, she saw the couple going down the street pushing a strange wheeled cart. She could hear the funny squeaky noises of the strange thing in the cart as they walked away. She felt very, very lonely.
That night, they didn't let her in the house to sleep in the bedroom. When she would scratch at the door to come inside, they just yelled at her to be quiet. The only time she saw them any more was when they put her food and water bowls out every morning. The nights got cold and she would sleep on the porch, as close to the door as she could, curled in a ball with her tail covering her nose. By the time the nights started to get warmer, her feet hurt a little from her long nails and her old coat hung in clumps. She didn't feel pretty any more and she didn't feel loved; she just felt lonely.
Sometimes she would dig in the yard just for something to do. Sometimes she would start to howl. No matter what she did, the couple would just come out and yell at her. She stopped running to them when they came out to work in the yard. She knew they would not pat her and she didn't want to be yelled at any more.
Then one day, they came out carrying her collar and leash. She was so excited, she could hardly sit still while they put the collar around her neck. They took her out the side gate and she hopped into the back seat of the man's car. After a short drive, they took her out for a walk. She was very surprised to see the first lady there and greeted her happily. The first lady patted her and cuddled her, then she put her in a crate in her big van with other dogs around her and they drove away.
She slept in a crate that night in the first lady's house. In the morning, she got to play in the same yard she had played in as a puppy. She couldn't find her brothers and sisters but there were some new dogs that were lots of fun to play with. The first lady was very kind and gentle. She gave her a bath and combed out all her dead coat. She trimmed her nails and her feet and sprayed her with the clean stuff. Michi felt very special and very happy again. Sometimes, the first lady would pile several of the dogs in her van and they would go to a park with lots of people and dogs. Michi liked this because some of the people would come over and pat her and talk to her.
Sometimes, people would come to the house to visit her, too. One couple came and played with her a long time and then came back again several days later. Michi was very happy to see her new friends again. The first lady got her collar and leash and led her to a strange car. Michi hopped happily into the back seat; she was a good girl and she knew how to ride in a car. The new couple got into the front seat and they drove away together.
That night, she found herself in a different house with unfamiliar smells. But one of the smells was the same; it was the smell of the strange thing. Then she saw it, making the same funny squeaky noises. She expected to be yelled at but the new couple was calling her and encouraging her to come over. Very hesitantly, she slowly approached the strange thing and stretched her neck out cautiously for a sniff. The man's hand came down and she ducked, expecting a blow, but the hand was gently patting her head and he told her she was a good girl. She sniffed again and got a faint whiff of something familiar. "Why, it's a human puppy", she thought. She wagged her tail happily and licked the little face gently. The hand patted her again and she was very pleased.
The next morning, the new couple put their coats on and put the human puppy in the wheeled cart. Then they put on her collar and leash! She was very excited as they all set off on a walk together. Lots of strangers stopped to look at the human puppy, and then they would pat her on the head and tell her what a good girl she was. This was even better than walks without the human puppy because hardly any stranger went by without stopping.
Michi got used to the human puppy very quickly. She learned that she was not allowed to play with the puppy's toys, but she wasn't very interested anyway. They didn't smell like her toys and she had lots of her own that smelled better. She let the new couple discipline the human puppy; it was their puppy and they were boss. She let the human puppy tug on her ears and pull her tail because, after all, it was just a puppy. The nights became cold again but Michi didn't mind this time. She got to sleep at the foot of the bed again and that was very comfortable.
When the weather got warm again, the new couple started packing all sorts of things in the car. When they put Michi in the car, there was hardly any room for her. She was crammed into a tiny space between the human puppy in a funny chair and a pile of parcels, but she didn't mind. Every once in a while, she would reach over and lick the human puppy's face. It tasted like milk and she wanted to make it clean, the way all puppies should be. After a very long drive, they stopped at a pretty little house in the woods. The house had a large yard stretching down to the most water Michi had ever seen! She ran around again and again, sniffing the ground and the trees and the flowers and everything.
The days that followed were the happiest Michi had ever known. They went for lots of long walks in the woods and sat on the porch every evening until it was dark. All of Michi's favourite toys were there, along with her crate which she still liked to lie in sometimes. The human puppy was walking now, not quite like the real people but kind of crooked. Michi was very careful not to touch her when she was walking; she looked like she would just topple over!
On one very pretty sunny day, Michi was lying in the shade having a nap while the human puppy was playing with some toys in a box filled with sand. She heard a slight movement and opened one eye. My goodness, the human puppy was headed for the big water! That was not a good place for puppies to be. Michi ran over in front of the human puppy and jumped and pushed, trying to make her turn around, but the little girl just laughed and tried to get past her. Michi finally grabbed her dress in her mouth and tried to pull her back, but the human puppy fell hard on the ground and started to howl. The new couple came running from the house and rushed over to the puppy, both of them picking her up at the same time. Michi was nervous and afraid that she had done wrong, but the new couple approached her smiling and telling her what a good girl she was. The human puppy had stopped howling and they all sat on the grass and patted her and hugged the baby. Michi felt happy and kind of proud that she had done the right thing.
Many happy days passed before the things were packed in the car again and the family returned to the house in the city. Sometime later, when the leaves were falling and the air was cooler, Michi was lying in the yard while the lady sat in the cool sun, watching the human puppy play with her toys. Michi heard a familiar sound in the driveway and she ran over to see what it was. It was the first lady, and Michi greeted her with smiles and kisses and got lots of pats in return. Had the first lady come to take her away again? Oh well, it was nice there and she would have other dogs to play with once more. But she would miss the new couple and especially the human puppy. The first lady sat for a long time talking to the new lady. She played with the human puppy and patted Michi again and again. Then, she gave Michi a big hug, walked out of the yard and drove away. The new lady stood at the fence with Michi sitting beside her, waving at the first lady as she drove down the road. Her other hand fell on Michi's head and Michi leaned very hard against her leg to let her know how happy she was. After all, this is where she belonged.
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