She knows better than to try to get on the furniture, but she’d weasel her way up on the couch anyway. First, her front paws. Nudge a little closer and stare at you with those brown, hound dog eyes. It’s her way of saying, “Give me some attention, daggonnit!”
Tell her to get down, and she’d nudge a little closer. There’s nothing left to do but scratch her behind the ears so you can watch TV uninterrupted. Then the one back leg is slowly lifted onto the couch.
“Get down!”
So the other leg gets up on the couch as she presses her head into your chest as if she’s lonely and just wants some love.
Keith and I decided she needed a companion – another dog. A couple of Saturdays ago, we went to the Dorchester County Humane Society to find a canine companion for Thistle.
We had been to the pound several times over the course of the year, and, while we wanted to adopt every dog there, realistically, we knew we couldn’t and we never did find one we thought would be perfect for Thistle.
We had been to the pound several times over the course of the year, and, while we wanted to adopt every dog there, realistically, we knew we couldn’t and we never did find one we thought would be perfect for Thistle.
We didn’t want another big dog. (Thistle’s about 60 lbs.) We wanted a little dog and Keith is partial to the wiener dogs. For the most part, the pound only had pit bulls and retrievers. Much bigger than what we wanted.
This particular day, the pound had a kennel of four puppies – three sisters and a brother. Ok, all puppies are cute, but these were irresistibly adorable. We never heard of a redbone coonhound much less a redbone coonhound crossed with a dachshund, but we knew we found a perfect companion for Thistle. They had the sad, hound dog eyes; big, floppy ears; and the wiener dog body.
This particular day, the pound had a kennel of four puppies – three sisters and a brother. Ok, all puppies are cute, but these were irresistibly adorable. We never heard of a redbone coonhound much less a redbone coonhound crossed with a dachshund, but we knew we found a perfect companion for Thistle. They had the sad, hound dog eyes; big, floppy ears; and the wiener dog body.
We didn’t even have to think about it. After watching the four puppies at play, we chose Emma, the runt of the litter. Her personality stood out over her brothers and sisters. She didn’t appear to chew much. She was quiet. And she sat proudly like a young lady while the other three were tripping over themselves to get attention.
Keith came up with her name, Minnow. As we drove home, he ran through a whole list of female country names, favoring Elly May of Clampett fame. We favored that name, but tried to recall other country names to make sure we had the best name for her.
Keith came up with her name, Minnow. As we drove home, he ran through a whole list of female country names, favoring Elly May of Clampett fame. We favored that name, but tried to recall other country names to make sure we had the best name for her.
“Who was that woman who always wore a hat with a price tag daggling from it?” Keith asked.
“Minnie Pearl.”
“You like that name?”
I thought for a minute. “How about Minnow. She’s the runt and we live in the marshlands. Sounds appropriate.”
“Minnow. I like that.” He paused for a moment. "How about Lisa for a middle name?”
“Minnow. I like that.” He paused for a moment. "How about Lisa for a middle name?”
I mumbled the full name under my breath. “Perfect!”
We didn’t need to discuss it any further.
And that’s how Minnow Lisa became a part of our family.
© 2007
Mark Darien
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