Willie Has A New Friend

Frankly, it was scary. Not just a little scary, but really scary.

We opened the crate our new puppy came to us in, and she stared off into the distance like a zombie.

My mind reeled. “Are you sick? Are you dehydrated? Did you get overheated on the flight? Or worse, do you have a bad personality?”

When we picked up Willie at the airport he was full of himself, having splattered water everywhere, scattered food  all over his crate and soaking himself from the soup he had made from food and drinking water. In fact, he had to have a bath the instant he arrived home.

Today I met Brenda at the airport and had eaten only half my lunch. I took the rest into the lobby, thinking I might have to wait for a delayed flight. Instead, she was waiting on us when we arrived.

My first thought was to take the puppy home, but Brenda suggested letting her relax a little before rushing her in to a car right after her long, two-leg flight. “Finish your lunch,” Brenda suggested, “and you can both relax before we go.”

Of course, the wisest woman in the world was right again. I ate my salad and our newest poodle sat in Brenda’s arms.

After no more than a few minutes she began to look around, interact with us, then act like she wanted to come to me. I set my McDonald’s aside and got my first kisses.

Thinking she might need to “go,” I took her to the airport’s “Animal Relief Area.” It was then that she really came to life, jumped around, slipped out of her slightly-too-large collar and leapt on my leg to be picked up.

“Whew!” I thought, “she has some life in her after all.”

It’s not like we needed another puppy.

Willie is a handful all by himself, and he’s plenty of company.

For us.

We felt he might be missing out on not having a playmate, though. We thought back to the days of Sam and Blossum, Peyton and Pearl, and the fun they brought to each other.

Then we gave in.

Introducing: Emmylou Harris Randolph. She gets her name from her silver undercoat, the same color hair as her musical namesake. She will be Emmylou to us, all one word, so as to differentiate the sound of her name from Willie’s.

We can’t wait to tell you about them entertaining us, and themselves.

See you tomorrow, Dr. Randolph.