A Dog Has Her Day

Once there was a dog named Sara Jane.  She was old, very old - some said she had outlived her usefulness.  Occasionally she thought so too.  She knew she was falling apart, some parts faster than others, but she tried to be brave. 

One day her family brought home a puppy.  The puppy was untrained, loud and very active.  Sara tried to ignore the newcomer, but it wasn't easy.  That puppy was a pest.  She wanted to play all the time, and got all sorts of new toys to play with.   Her favorite game was to chew on Sara, when all Sara wanted to do was sleep.

The puppy was quick.  If there was a pot to lick, she always got there first.  That made Sara sad, but there wasn't much she could do.  One day she noticed a new toy, a nice fresh rawhide.  Rawhides were Sara's favorite. This was a big one, so big that the puppy could gnaw on it for hours and barely make a dent.  Sara wanted that rawhide.  She would finish it in ten minutes.

When the family wasn't looking, Sara picked the rawhide up. She held it in her mouth.  It hung out the side, like a cigar.  She looked funny.  She wanted to take it away and eat it up, but she always thought about it too long.  Her Mom took it away every time.  No, Sara, that belongs to the puppy. It will get stuck in your throat.

Sara tried again.  Over and over she tried, for about a week, but someone always caught her.

Finally, she succeeded!  She took the rawhide into her room and chewed on it happily for about ten minutes.  There wasn't much left after that.  It looked awful, like a long pink tongue sticking out of her mouth, but that didn't matter.  It was delicious! 

Her Dad was looking for the rawhide.  He came into Sara's room and saw the long pink thing hanging from her lips.  Her Dad thought it was her tongue.  He yelled - he thought Sara was finished.  He was wrong. 

Sara felt good.  The rest of the treat went in the garbage, but she could still taste it.

Puppy, shmuppy!