Kevin noticed that I hadn’t written anything in 5 days (heavens-to-betsy). My explanation is simple – we’ve been puppy sitting!
One of my young church friends got a puppy a couple of weeks ago and needed to be out of town with her family this week (rodeo – we do live in rodeo country). I offered to love her baby for her.
It took the boys all of 10 seconds to fall in love with Butch. He is about 10 weeks old and a red heeler. Cute as a bug! (well, if you think bugs are cute …)
The boys thought it was pretty cool being able to pick a dog up and play with it like Butch let them do. You don’t pick up Trouble and Daisy. Butch was carried all around the backyard. He was given bouncy wagon rides. He was held and petted. He even made it into Ricky’s prayer the very first night he was here. Ricky prayed, “please bless Butch that he will live through the whole week.” It may just have been the faith of that child that kept that puppy alive!!
Rusty loved to squeal and run away from the puppy. Of course, this made Butch yip and bark and run after Rusty. It was a game that was repeated many times each day.
Tommy was the least in love with the puppy. Butch just cramped Tommy’s style. With Tommy crawling around, Butch thought he had a playmate his own size – he’d hop on and nip at and lick much more than Tommy was comfortable with. And, even more offensive to Tommy, people would hold this puppy. Special people. People whom Tommy thinks are his and his alone. People like Grandmama. Anytime Grandmama would hold the puppy, Tommy was right there yelling and scolding and whining for Grandmama to put that dog down and pick him up.
Butch went back home today. The boys were a little sad. We took a few good-bye pictures.
The pictures aren’t good enough for Billy.
He wants Kevin to draw him a picture of Butch.
And hang it by his bed.
So we never forget him.
And even though they probably won’t admit it, I think Trouble and Daisy are missing Butch a little too.
