The exercise:
Alright, I manged to resist using this prompt yesterday but I can avoid it no longer: a dog named Ebola.
Greg can give you the full story if he wants - I'm happy to leave it as a mystery.
In far more interesting news, to me at least: the wedding rings arrived by courier today. Now we just have to get them to my best man before we start wearing them all the time.
Mine:
We love our puppy,
He's just so cute!
Especially when
He wears his suit!
He likes his walks,
He likes to play,
He likes to insist
He gets his way!
We just wish
He felt no shame
When at the park
We call his name!
8 comments:
Congratulations on the arrival of the rings! You should post a pic of them on the blog at some point, as I'm sure they'd make a good prompt.
As for the dog named Ebola, I have a dog who was named Dolly before I got her. I commented to Eloo and Kat that I'd have picked something a little more butch for a dog, such as Ebola, which made them laugh a little. But only a little :)
The plane to Kamloops was fine, albeit brief, we were landing almost before I'd got comfortable!
And although I like your poem, I'd have no shame calling out "Ebola!" in the park!
A dog named Ebola
The tall man with the sad eyes put the puppy on the table in front of me.
"This dog's called Ebola," he said, his voice morbid and cold. "If you don't take her home with you today, then--" He stopped speaking, and slowly drew a finger across his throat. I understood the gesture perfectly.
I still said nothing.
"This one's called Epiphany," he said, lifting another puppy on to the table. "She has just fifteen hours to live. You can change that, if you want."
I still said nothing. I wanted a pet, and both dogs were beautiful, but I couldn't help feeling that the animal shelter's hard-sell tactics were being taken too far.
We searched and searched
For a name our dog liked,
But to our surprise,
She only answers to Ebola.
Greg - that's a fine idea. I shall have to get a decent picture of them before I hand them off.
I think the only thing to do in your story is take both puppies home. But I suppose that's exactly what that bastard wants you to do...
Morganna - haha, that's quite a dog! I think I might be a bit concerned by that sort of behavior, actually...
Dogs
should be banned in neighbourhoods and apartments
should not be left to bark when owners are absent
should be trained
should be used for work only...
drug sniffing, blind assistance, sheep gathering, sledding,
should not be shown
should not be paraded in handbags
should not poop on lawns next door
should be put down if they bite
should not be left alone with young children
Writebite - ugh, barking dogs with no owner around is one of the worst things ever.
Also: couldn't agree more with the handbag thing.
Good Things Come in Small Packages
There she was, cuddled up in her new owner’s arms, her pointed snout and overly large ears peered out of the carry pouch, making her look more like a joey than the chihuahua pup she was.
I grabbed her in my hands and couldn’t help but coo at her smallness. Cute didn’t begin to describe this tiny canine. She was barely longer than my hand. I cuddled her with two. As she started to wake up more I gently placed her on the floor to sniff at her surrounds. I wanted her to get used to me, to the scent of my house, so that when she visited she would know me as “friend” and we would relax in each other’s company.
I say ’relax’ because I’m really more of a cat person, or a bird person, but this tiny creature, this bundle of life, might just convert me.
I watched her as she gobbled her food with early morning gusto. I laughed as she killed one of the soft toys I’d relegated to “her” toy box. She displayed all the typical traits of genus Canine in one small four-legged package. She squeaked when she slept so trustingly in my arms; she yelped when I tried to catch her whilst she was playing (she has a mind of her own), but she has never barked. She is a quiet dynamo. I have to constantly look at the floor lest I tread on her which would unforgivable. Her dainty legs remind me of her potential fragility. Her antics with dry
leaves dancing in the wind in the rear garden make me laugh until I’m in stitches and I forgive the small puddle of wee she left on the kitchen floor because I didn’t take her outside quickly enough.
I simply can’t feel sad too long about the state of the world when in the presence of this puppy princess. Humans have nothing on this. Animals are way better behaved. They don’t know jealousy or envy or ego-centred self-righteousness but they do know trust and loyalty and love. They have rules you follow and that’s that.
She’s little. She will grow a bit bigger but she will always be small. It’s amazing to think that every canine behaviour can be exhibited in this tiny creature and at such a young age, already. She’s a little diversion in my daily life, a reminder of what’s truly important, and that’s got to be a good thing.
We wanted to name him Toby
But after long days of training,
He still would not come.
We just had to pick a name!
My sister joked, saying his name could be Ebola.
His ears perked up and he ran to her.
To bad he only came to the name Ebola.
Writebite - ah, you snuck this second response by me, it would seem.
A lovely little snippet it is too, and in such contrast to your initial reply.
Caitlin - hello and welcome to the blog. I must admit I'm terribly pleased to see that you've chosen this particular prompt for your first response :D
Hah, that is a fantastic way for a dog to get an unfortunate name. Will have to remember to keep my jokes to myself when we're naming the puppy we'll eventually be getting :)
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