You probably know this, but children sometimes do not like being told what to do, and this drives parents crazy. It is important for parents to set limits and rules because that is how children stay safe and learn how to navigate the world. It is essential that children listen to their parents so they can learn what is right or wrong and safe or dangerous.
The same is true for animals. Little puppies, for instance, need guidance from their doggie-parents so they will be safe in the big world. They need to know that streets are dangerous. Unfortunately, sometimes puppies do not get to have guidance from older dogs, and it is necessary for people to help them. It can be very hard for people to explain things to dogs, so it can take a long time to get the message across.
Pup-Pup was discovered living on the streets of the big city, Philadelphia, by a young fellow who really liked animals. It is a good thing that Pup-Pup was found by a good guy like Kenny because Philadelphia is huge and it is hard for adult people to get around in, and even harder for dogs. Little puppies, such as Pup-Pup have a terribly difficult time of it. Kenny gave the little dog a nice warm home and tried very hard to keep him off the streets.
Unfortunately, like many human children, didn’t like to be told what to do. You see, Pup-Pup was an artist. Not just any artist, oh no, he was an escape artist. He could escape from just about anywhere. Some of Kenny’s neighbors wanted to call Pup-Pup “Steve McQueen” because he was always making a Great Escape.
Now, that joke is very funny to adults who like old movies, but if you are a young person you may not “get it”. Ask your parents about it, they will appreciate that you take an interest in ancient history.
Kenny tried and tried to keep Pup-Pup in the house and the yard, but the moment Kenny’s back was turned the little dog would “make a break for it” and end up in the front yard or even in the street where the dangerous cars were driving by.
One day there were two workmen in the neighborhood repairing a house. They were fixing the front door when they heard the screeching of car brakes and a loud yelp. The workers turned around just in time to see that Pup-Pup had escaped again, and this time had been hit by a car! They were very frightened because it looked like the dog was seriously injured.
Sure enough, Pup-Pup had been hit by the car and had run to hide under the porch of a house. The workmen ran over to the porch to see if Pup-Pup was OK. They could see that he was in tough shape. The two men ran to a house next door and knocked loudly, but nobody answered. They dashed to another house and again knocked on the door, but just as before there was nobody home.
In that neighborhood most of the residents worked during the day, so it was no surprise that the workmen were having trouble finding help for the dog. On the third try they ran up to a house where relieved when a woman answered their knocks. They explained to her what had happened.
Unfortunately, that woman did not have a car and could not help them get Pup-Pup medical attention. But she knew that right across the street there was somebody with a car, and that person was at home at that very moment. You see, Anita lived in that house across the street, and her car was parked at the curb out front. Once again, the workmen ran to find help, and this time Anita came to the rescue.
Anita grabbed a sheet and some clean towels and made a mad dash up the block with the workmen in the lead. They showed her to were Pup-Pup was hiding. He was very traumatized and looked like he was going into shock. He would not come out from under the porch no matter how hard Anita tried to convince him it was safe.
Finally, in what I imagine was a very brave thing to do (people can be very brave in an emergency), Anita crawled under the porch and wrapped the injured little dog in towels and carried him to safety. She put Pup-Pup in her car and rushed him to the nearest veterinary clinic.
Anita carried Pup-Pup into the clinic and Dr. Patel, the veterinarian on duty that day, examined him closely. After what seemed like forever, Dr. Patel gave Anita the news.
“This little dog,” said Dr. Patel, “has a badly injured leg and shoulder. I am not sure what will happen if we try to save the leg. He may have trouble walking. He will probably need lots of rest and some exercise therapy. His injuries are very serious.”
Anita though it over for exactly two seconds and told Dr. Patel, “Do what you can to save Pup-Pup’s leg. I will make sure that he gets the attention he needs.”
So, with that promise from Anita, Dr. Patel went to work and performed a veterinary miracle. He made sure there were no broken bones in Pup-Pup’s leg, then stitched up the injuries after making sure everything was perfectly clean. Then, much to Pup-Pup’s annoyance (as if getting hit by a car wasn’t annoying enough), Dr. Patel made the little dog wear one of those “Elizabethan collar” things that look like a giant plastic cone so the he could not chew or scratch the stitches.
Dr. Patel said Pup-Pup had to stay in the clinic for a few days so that the technicians could watch him. They had to make sure he was not in pain and had all the food and water necessary for him to get strong again. They also had to make sure he took his medicine because they did not want him to be in pain or get an infection. That was very important.
Every day for a whole week Anita went to the clinic to check on Pup-Pup. Once he felt a little better, she was able to take him for short walks around the office. Finally the big day came and Dr. Patel told Anita that Pup-Pup was ready to go home.
While Pup-Pup was in the clinic Anita spoke to Kenny and told him what had happened. Kenny was very sad and upset. He didn’t know what to do. There was no mistake about it, Kenny loved Pup-Pup, but because the dog was such a brilliant escape artist Kenny was afraid there would be trouble again.
Anita came up with an idea. She suggested to Kenny that if he was willing to let Pup-Pup live at her house, she would make sure that the dog got a safe home. Anita would pay the veterinary bills, too. Best of all, Kenny could visit Pup-Pup any time he wanted to. Kenny thought that was a very good plan.
Pup-Pup, meanwhile, didn’t know anything about these plans that Anita and Kenny were making. All he knew was that he was once again in Anita’s car and heading somewhere interesting. In fact, it turned out that Anita’s house was very interesting! It was nice and warm, there was a cat to chat with, and plenty of food. There was a safe backyard, too. He tried to escape from that yard (are we surprised?) but he discovered it was escape-proof. In fact, Anita’s house was so perfect for Pup-Pup he decided that he wanted to live there permanently.
Well, that was certainly not part of Anita’s plan! Anita figured that she would find the dog a good home and that would be that. What Anita did not know was that dogs have a secret power. It is something that only dogs know how to use. This secret power is held inside until they need it, and then they use it on their chosen person. This power is called “throwing the eyes”.
Within a day or so Pup-Pup was “throwing the eyes” at Anita. It became harder and harder to resist the secret power. I visited her house one day and saw what he was doing. I told Anita, “That dog is never going to leave here.”
She said, “As soon as I find him a good home, he will go and be very happy. I am working on a list of possible homes right now.”
I advised her, “Just toss out that list. It is no good. He is throwing the eyes at you, and they cannot be resisted. You are doomed.”
When it comes to throwing the eyes, resistance is futile.
That is another very funny joke, so be sure to ask your parents about it. They will appreciate your interest in science fiction.
And so, it came to be. After a couple days of Pup-Pup throwing the eyes at Anita she tossed out her list of potential homes for the little dog. Anita gave up just as I predicted. He found the perfect home with Anita and was very happy.
There were only two things that you need to know about before I end this story. First, Pup-Pup was very afraid of cars because of the injury caused when he was hit by one and had to be rescued by Anita. He was even scared to just go for a ride in a car. Anita worked with him for a long time and eventually he decided that cars were OK as long as he was with Anita. He even learned that you could visit interesting places such as Maine and North Carolina if you went for a ride in a car. Pup-Pup became a good traveler.
The second thing you need to know about is that Anita realized that Pup-Pup would not be a puppy forever and that he would need an adult-dog name. There’s a lot of mystery about how her dog-pal got his adult name. Some people say he was named after the street his new home was on. Other people claim he was named after a favorite relative. There is even a third theory that says he got his name from aliens in a spaceship. Anita has never really been perfectly clear about this naming business.
It doesn’t really matter, because within a day or so of coming to live at Anita’s house, that little dog came to be known as “Morris”. Morris liked his new name, too.
That is how Morris found his home.
