Magic Dog- One hot summer day I left to go teach summer classes at Northeast Community College. My German Shepherd was in the house and I just left him in the hall as he provided extra security for my elderly Mother and Aunt Jewel. He was only about 110 pounds and black/tan. It was going to be a scorcher. I left him in also because of the heat. He loved the hall just across from the air return. Mother got up and fixed the breakfast for her and Aunt Jewel and Old Bear as the dog was called got him a taste and afterwards went to lie back down. Mom sat in her chair by the TV watching all the courts shows. She watched so many I would often tease her about holding court. As the morning wore on she decides that Old Bear might need to go out as he ate more than they had. She looked around and called him. No Bear was found. She watched another show and Aunt Jewel lay down. About noon, she decides that she had better find Ole Bear. She walked down the hall to where he always loved across from the return. No bear dog. She went out to the utility room where he often lay before the deep freezer. No bear dog. She looked in my room where on cold, cold nights I would put him down a blanket where he would lay. No Bear. She went back to her chair baffled. Well, all of a sudden she realized that that big old dog must have let himself out as he could push the heavy steel door open if he really wanted out. Yep, that must be it, she had dozed off and Bear let himself out. About half past one, TV 5 from Memphis came on with a heat warning which set the index at 115. Mom now thinks I had better call up Ole Bear out of the heat. She stepped to the door and called and called. No Bear. She went out on the back deck and called. No Bear. She starts to worry. She starts to blame herself about now paying attention to the poor sweating dog thought dogs don’t sweat. She knew that so her thoughts shift to a dog in a heavy fur coat panting and panting and about to pass out. Aunt Jewel arose and had her dinner and Mom told her she was worried about Bear and rehashed the whole story about wanting to let him out to go wet. He was not there and had let himself out and now she can’t find him. Aunt Jewel says,” Old Bayer (the way she said it.) is smart if he wants in he will come up on the porch.” Mom said he may have got out there and past out. She could just see him lying in the ditch. What if he became disoriented and stood too long in the road. She did not want to think about it. I come in from school and set my briefcase down by the door where she asks me if I saw Bear on the way in. Then she recaps the entire story. Meanwhile I am looking at the dining room table. It was a light oak finish and had the leaf in with four chairs around it. It sat on a dark blue oval rug on the other sit of the living/dining room. This was where they had spent most of their day. I tell you this to tell you that under the table on that rug and midst the legs of the table and chairs lay a big dark mass. It was Bear and he was lying as flat as a 110 pound dog could. He held those ears straight up and looked at me with pleading soulful eyes that said,” Shhhhh! Don’t tell her I am here. She wants to put me out and she calls me every so often, Joe and it is hot as hell out there.” Yes, Bear was a smart dog and he was hiding under the table all the live long day. When I told Mom and Aunt Jewel, they just laughed and shook their heads. Bear smiled. How I wish I could see them all today.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 13:25:01 +0000