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White, Fluffy and Very Cute!
By Judy Keifer, Litchfield
If anyone was driving through the center of Litchfield 'round midnight about two weeks ago and saw me standing out in the middle of our front lawn in a long white nightgown, I was definitely not trying to flag down passing milk truck drivers!
If you had looked closer you would have noticed a small white object about the size and shape of a loaf of Pepperidge Farm white bread. Believe it or not, that was my daughter’s dog that I was babysitting while she was off gallivanting around at a "Club Med" somewhere. I call him my "granddog" and, although he is familiar with our house, this is the first time he had been here for a two-week stretch.
This is the first time we have had a dog since our early married days back in Ohio, when a passing hound dog adopted us and had six puppies! Since then, we have had only cats, and we forgot how labor-intensive dogs are, compared with cats.
The first problem is that you rarely see a loose dog roaming in Litchfield. It may be against some town ordinance, but I think it is because they would be instantly mowed down by the constant car and truck traffic that has turned Litchfield into The Crossroads of America. So he had to be leashed every time he went out front. Which was often. Go! I said GO! became my mantra.
His breed is called Maltese, and the main characteristic is bring very white and fluffy and very, very cute. I could be prejudiced, but it is hard to resist those shoe-button brown eyes and that wagging plume of a tail.
My daughter said we could leave him downstairs at night, but he has a sharp little bark when neglected, so I knew that wouldn't work. He and I departed to the guest room, where we shared the king size bed. He was a well mannered sleep mate, and when I said "Lie down!" he would curl up in a little ball and start snoring.
However, in the middle of the night, I could feel someone staring at me through my closed eyelids, and he would be standing on the edge of the bed as if to say, I need to go OUT!
He is back home now, in the care of my daughter, who claims I spoiled him rotten. But, you know, I kind of miss him. Maybe I’ll go out and wander around the lawn some midnight, just for old time's sake.
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