Today is my dog, Gunner's first birthday! YAY! (And he's a German Shepherd) so in honor of his day of birth, I give you..... "Dog Sitting"
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Paisley sat in the corner on her large red pillow with her head down and her ears up. She looked back and forth from Charlie to Kath as she lay there peacefully. She was a seven year old German Shepherd that Charlie had recently agreed to babysit for a friend while they went out of town.
Kath sat on the couch very stiffly and even though she said she was alright, Charlie couldn’t help but notice how rigid she was, glancing from the TV over to the dog. Not to mention the fact that Kath was completely freaked out when Charlie even brought the dog into the apartment.
“What is that?!” she’d yelled almost jumping onto the counter.
“It’s a dog, Kath,” Charlie said, taking Paisley off her leash.
“I know that, but what is it doing here? Oh God, Charlie, you didn’t buy that thing did you?” Paisley was now sniffing Kath’s leg and Kath was making a feeble attempt to shoo her with a kitchen towel.
“No, we’re dog sitting for a friend for the weekend,” Charlie wondered why Kath was acting this way. She’d always been okay with dogs. Her mom had two dachshunds, and all of her friends had dogs. But the more Charlie thought about it, he realized all of her friends had small dogs. Paisley was a 90 pound German Shepherd. The police dog. The terrifying beast. But then he looked at Paisley with her big brown eyes and almost smiling mouth. She was gentle and sweet. Surely all Kath needed was time with her. “Come on,” Charlie said, taking Kath’s hand. “Paisley is a nice dog. She’s not gonna hurt you.”
“Oh yeah,” Kath said as Charlie pushed her into the living room. She kept an eye on Paisley as she walked with Paisley just trotting behind. “I’ve heard the story of Jezebel. That dog’ll eat me in my sleep.”
“No, she’s not. Come on.” Charlie sat Kath down on the couch and called Paisley over. But then Kath freaked out. She shot up off the couch which got Paisley excited who then started barking and jumping around. This freaked Kath out even more and she ran into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
After much needed encouragement and reassurance that Paisley was settled down and laying on her bed, Charlie finally coerced Kath out of the bedroom and had her sit back on the couch.
Now, Kath tried to show that she was into the TV show, but Charlie knew she wasn’t. She kept glancing at Paisley and then away. Whenever the dog moved, Kath flinched. Charlie really couldn’t understand why someone would be afraid of a dog named Paisley, but Kath wasn’t like anyone else. She was her own person, and if she was afraid of dogs, it would be up to her to change her mind. All Charlie could do was watch.
After about ten minutes of waiting, Charlie suggested that he should start dinner and headed to the kitchen. Every once in a while he glanced in the living room and saw Kath and Paisley in their same positions. He just shook his head and smiled.
When dinner was almost ready he took one last glance and there was Paisley sitting in front of Kath, on the floor while Kath had pulled both legs up onto the couch and was holding out a pillow as a shield. Paisley sniffed the pillow and then sniffed Kath’s hand that was holding it. Kath froze; eyes wide. She stared as the dog gently sniffed her. Charlie would have intervened, but it was all too hilarious to watch.
Paisley licked Kath’s hand and then Kath made this disgusted look on her face. It was actually a mixture between surprised and disgusted.
Then, like clockwork, Paisley laid her head on Kath’s left foot and exhaled sharply through her nose like she was sighing. Kath’s tensed shoulders dropped a bit.
“Charlie!” she whispered as loudly as she could. “She – she put her put her head on my foot!” With her hushed tones and slight excitement she almost sounded like a little kid. Charlie chuckled.
“Yeah, Kath,” he said staring out over the bar counter. “It means she likes you.”
Kath stared at Charlie for a moment with a blank expression. But Charlie could see the wheels turning in her head. Slowly but surely she put down the pillow beside her and softly stroked Paisley’s head.
The next morning, when Charlie woke, all over the kitchen table were sketches of Paisley in different positions. In one she was licking Kath’s hand. In another she was laying next to the sofa, and in another she was sitting up, with her head cocked to the side.
And on the fridge was a handwritten note,
“Taking Paisley for a walk. Eggos in the freezer. I’ll have two and she’ll have one. – Love K.”
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