My name is Lilas. That means "lilac" in French. It’s a good name for me. I’m shy -- and lots of things scare me (our kitchen rug is terrifying). And just like a bush digging its roots in the ground, I, of course, like to dig my paws into “le dirt.”
Oh! The smell of it. Earthy. Dirty! I love it when it’s dry; I like it even better after the rain. I think my people have zeroed in on my obsession, because they keep me indoors when the ground is wet. Any time I get a toe into that delicious dirt on the lawn (where the boss man spends his weekends laboring for the perfect green), they shut me back inside, and I make do with boring rawhide.
I, however, hit the jackpot last Thanksgiving with some much-deserved alone time…with dirt. My people’s family had invaded the house and they were all diverted, cooking the turkey in the oven and the beans on the stove (don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t have minded a muzzle up in that action too…but I digress). They put me outside, away from the food, on a perfect Arizona night that nipped the tip of my wet little nose. Then I saw it: a patch of dirt on the lawn with DOG written all over it.
I strutted over and put a paw in, and it was just the right feel: like a giant ball of wet clay. Then I stuck my nose in and took a deep sniff…and I was high on grass. I started pawing and clawing and digging, covering myself in that gooey goodness, until I was seeing brown. It soaked in and caked into my fur right down to my chin and legs.
I stopped to catch a breath, and then I decided to smear my nose on the glass door for a closer look inside. That’s when my people saw me.
Before I could run inside to explain myself, I was drenched in cold water as the big man sprayed me and my dirty prints that covered the patio. My people laughed as I shook, and then the boss pinned me down with a towel, muttering a bit under his breath about the “damn dog” and “my grass” and dirt. And yep, you guessed it -- it’s been a lot more difficult since then to get any quality alone time outside.
-- Colleen Canney
Oct 28, 2009
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