One evening when I was sent out to play I spotted a new dog on the block. She was a dark brown dog about my size with a big pink bow tied around her neck. She sauntered right up to me and introduced herself. “My name is Cutie Pie I’m a Poodle, handsome, what’s your name?”
“My name is Farfel, I live in this people house. I haven’t seen you around here before Cutie Pie.”
“No I’m new to the neighborhood, I just moved in. My people family just bought me from the dog pound.”
“What’s the dog pound?” Asked Farfel. “It was a horrible place I had to live. I was cooped up all day in a cage. I had to listen to all kinds of dogs big and small complain all day and all night. I never got any sleep. But they did feed us good.” She licked her lips. “I really like my new home.” “Farfel, do you like to go out and play?”
“No I try not to go to far from home. It’s not safe too many big grouchy dogs around,” Cutie Pie.
“Yeah I know what you mean. I feel the same way. Today that big bull dog from next door chased me around the block. I just made it home in one piece. I kept feeling his teeth in my behind the whole time I was running. Farfel why do our humans families do this to us? Can’t they see were not happy to be running loose.” “What do you think we can do about it?” asked Farfel.
“I don’t know?” said Cutie Pie. She has the biggest brown eyes thought Farfel. ”Farfel are there any other small dogs about our size that live in our neighborhood?”
“Yeah, there are a few Cutie Pie.” “Why don’t we go over to their people houses and ask them what they think about the problem.” “That’s a good idea Cutie Pie let’s do it.”
They both looked cautiously up and down the street to see if there were any big dogs lurking to bite them in the behind. “I think the coast is clear,” said Cutie Pie winking her brown eyes at Farfel. “Come on Farfel lets go.”
“How are we going to do this Cutie Pie they are inside their people houses and we are out here in the dark?” “I don’t know will think of something.”
“Well Cutie Pie, directly across the street lives my friend Bentley a friendly black Chow Chow. I have never called on him before how do we go about it?”
“Let’s stand outside the front window and howl Farfel. Maybe his human owners will let him come outside and play.”
“Okay let’s try that Cutie Pie”. They stood in front of Bentley’s window and hoooowled and hoooowled and hoooowled and hoooowled. “Nothing is happening Farfel.
Let’s do it again.” They hoooowled again. The human lady opened the front door and yelled,
“What’s going on out there? Stop that caterwauling. You're making enough noise to wake the dead. Now get out of here. You mangy mutts.” While the door was opened Bradley dashed through it and was outside with his friends in a flash. “You can stay outside for a while Bentley if it will shut up your friends,” said his human Mommy.
“What’s up Farfel? asked Bradley and who is this new lady dog with the big pink bow.”
“My name is Cutie Pie and I just moved here.”
“What’s going on I think you were trying to tell me something with all that noise you were making”
You got that right Bradley. We are fed up with our human families sending us small dogs out into the street everyday to be accosted and abused by the bigger dogs.” “I hear you loud and clear as a matter of fact my head is still ringing with all that serenading you were doing outside my house,” said Bradley.”
“Do you have any suggestions about what to do about it?” asked Farfel. “Well maybe we should go down the street and talk to Lioness maybe he can think of something.”
They all set off at fast trot to Lioness human house. “Well let me clear my throat first guys said Bradley before I start my singing. “On the count of three lets all start. One, two, three,”
“Hoooowl, Hoooowl, Hoooowl.” “What is going on out there” yelled Lioness’s human dad opening the front door. “What are you dogs doing out there? My ears drums are going to burst. Shut up.” “Send out Lioness,” they all Hoooowled in unison.
From inside the house they heard bark, bark, bark, “What is it fellow?” said his human dad scratching Lioness ears. Do you want to go outside and join those noisy, crazy dogs? Well go on fellow” He was a brown Dachshund with a long sleek tail. He walked across the lawn with his head held high set in an arrogant manner.
“What is going on out here?” he asked all his friends. “Did somebody die? What is all this horrible, ear shattering noise about? You know I have sensitive ears. Who is that lady dog with the big pink bow?”
“She’s new to the block,” answered Farfel. “We were calling you Lioness to come outside. We wanted to talk to you. “What could be so dab burn important?” asked Lioness. “Lioness, what do you think about your human family letting you loose to run the streets and yards all the time, do you like it? asked Farfel.
“No I don’t,” answered Lioness pointing his ears and shaking his head. It’s down right dangerous out here by myself. I don’t know what my human family thinks its doing. I would be happy in a fenced in back yard. What could that hurt? It wouldn’t take that much time or money to throw up a fence to keep me in the yard and safe and keep big dogs out.”
“I feel the same way said Cutie Pie my human family says they love me, but how could they when they open the door and literally throw me to the wolves everyday.”
Just then a gigantic brown and white German Shepard from down at the far end of the block spotted all the dogs having a pow wow in Lioness’s front yard. He started to run straight at the dogs with saliva drooling out of the side of his mouth.
“Run!” yelled Farfel that’s Prince the big, savage dog that chases me every chance he can. “Run,” yelled Farfel once again.
“No STOP said Cutie Pie. Don’t run stand your ground.” “What do you mean?" asked all the other small dogs grouped tightly together in surprise.
“It’s four against one. He is out numbered maybe we are small but united we are MIGHTY. When he comes close to us gang everybody growl and start chasing him. What do you think?” asked Cutie Pie.
“I, I, don’t know he’s pretty big and ferocious. Do you think it will work?” asked Lioness? “Well here he comes so were going to find out,” yelled Cutie Pie. Prince ran right up to the four small dogs and to his surprise instead of them turning and running from him they bared their teeth and Groooowled at him.
“What’s this?” he asked in surprise and shock coming to a stop so sudden you would have thought he had put on the brakes. “Why aren’t you little doggies afraid and running away from me?”
“We're not running any more from you any more you big brute,” yelled Cutie Pie as furiously as she could. “I think you’d better do the running Prince”. She started chasing the humongous German Shepard with the other three dogs close on her heels.
Prince made an about face and ran as fast as his four paws would take him down the street and up to his own front human door and barked,” let me in let me in,” until his human dad opened the door and let him inside. “Well I guess we showed him,” said Cutie Pie.
“Yeah we sure did that was fun, answered farfel with a swagger to his step. “Well from now on whenever any of us are outside, we make sure we stay together. That is our only chance until our human families understand our problem,” said Farfel. Farfel walked slowly down the street with Lioness and Cutie Pie. ""hat sure was something we kicked Princess’s butt today. We had to of made some sort of doggie history.”
“Well bye guys this is my human house. See you tomorrow,” said Cutie Pie as she winked her brown eyes at Farfel, and sashayed her way up to the house. “This is my human house,” said Lioness, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow Farfel. Do you want me to wink my eyes at you to?” he asked with a laugh.
As Farfel approached his human house his human Mommy met him at the front door.
“What was all that commotion about tonight Farfel? You were right in the middle of all that racket. I saw you and three other small dogs chase that big German Shepard down the street. That was a really brave thing to do. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that he was the block bully and he was always bulling you little guys.
It looks like all of you decided to teach him a lesson tonight. Is that it Farfel?” “Wolf, Wolf”, said Farfel jumping up and kissing his human Mommy’s face with his long red tongue.
“Well maybe I better get the back yard fenced in and you and your friends can play safely in the back yard from now on.” How would you like that Farfel?” as she playfully ruffled his hair and gave him a big hug. “Wolf, Wolf, Wolf, Wolf,” said Farfel. Copyright Linda Meckler 2006
