Dog School 1
It seems like it was just yesterday Newton was climbing in the backseat of the car that hot August morning, unaware that it would be months before he would return to Arkansas. He was happy that morning just to ride in the car, but soon his happiness turned to nerves. The first time we took him to Hickory Hill Park, he pulled loose from his collar and ran hard as he could into a native prairie planting. There, he scared up a deer and chased it into the park. We thought he would never come back to us! But soon enough he came back, and soon enough, we learned to trust him more. All the things we’ve done together: Chasing deer! Flopping in the snow! Chasing eagles! Playing with squeaky toys! Developing elaborate plans for world domination! Chasing possums! Sexing up all the neighborhood women! Chasing raccoons! Undermining the international banking system! Chasing geese!
But Newton is nearly eight years old. All the other dogs are well ahead of him in smarts, if not in looks. But today, all that changed: today was his first day of dog school.
By all reports, he did well, even managing to get one of the teachers to flirt with him. To which I say: That’s my boy!
