My Mum, by Josie the Cockapoo

Hi, it’s Josie the Cockapoo, hoping you see this column and send my mum a cheery emoji or note. She’s cleaning out the dog cupboard, finding my old toys and puppy stuff, and getting all emotional. She was making good progress with a keep, donate, and throw pile until she pulled out my pink fluffy puppy blanket.

I was just over six weeks old when she and Dad brought me home. She’d laid that pink blanket, something she’d picked up at St. Vincent’s de Paul to get ready for my arrival, on her lap. I’d snuggled in, knowing right away that I had my family. An hour after we left, Dad pulled into a rest stop and she set me down on the grass. She walked away, and I followed her. She got all mushy then, too. 

Right now, she’s holding the old blanket and sighing. Not sure which pile to put it in, she sets it aside.

She moves on and shakes out the fluffy lion costume she bought at a rummage sale, thinking I’d look cute when the trick-or-treaters came. Well, let me tell you, I DID NOT look cute and the last time she tried to squeeze me into it—yeah, I might have gained some weight—, she could barely peel it off of me.  I was glad to see her set it in the “donate” pile.

Next, she pulls out the deerskin booties Dad sewed for me years ago. He even screwed four round posts into a board that the boots slip over to help them dry. Having to sit while the boots were fitted and laced was a real pain, but I appreciated how they kept my paws warm. Mum puts them in the keep pile and I’m okay with that.

Next, she examines the metal corkscrew stake she bought before she realized I wasn’t the kind of dog who took off. She puts it in the “donate” pile. I wonder if she’s remembering the one time she couldn’t find me. I was still a young pup. She started the hose, and it scared me so much, I hid behind the stacked lounge cushions on the deck. Mum called, but I was too scared to come out. She enlisted the help of Dad and a friend, Jeanne. Mum searched the road, thinking I’d run off. Worried that I’d get hit by a car, she drove all around. It was her friend Jeanne who finally found me cowering behind the cushions. I was glad to have her find me and especially happy to get to cuddle on her lap. I love to cuddle.

Next up is “mousey,” my favorite puppy toy. Mum tied a rope around the stuffed mouse she used to twirl around so I could chase after it. Even though I don’t play with it like I used to, I’m kind of glad it goes in the “keep” pile.

Smells from the next item help me recall the fun hunting game we played. Mum would sprinkle “dog trainer grouse” liquid onto a decoy, trail it through the woods while Dad kept me busy so I wouldn’t look. Then I had the fun of sniffing it out. Let me tell you, I was pretty darn good at it. I’m glad to see she keeps it.

The warm “bomber” jacket Dad picked out for me also stays. I’m glad since it makes me look tough, and it’s much better than the pink and blue sweater Mum bought me.

The tennis balls stay and so does the little wagon Mum taught me to pull. She tosses some of the fake bones that I never liked to chew and a broken hula hoop I used to jump through. She keeps the package of heavy-duty balloons because she knows how much I love to bat the balloon with my front legs or nose, sending it high enough so Dad or Mum can hit it back to me.

The “dog cupboard” is bare. Mum returns to my pink fluffy puppy blanket. It gets her all misty-eyed. I haven’t used it for years, but I don’t mind when she puts it in the “keep” pile because it makes her pick me up, sit in the chair, and cuddle me. Ah, yes, Mum’s a softy, but that’s the way I like her.

4 Replies to “My Mum, by Josie the Cockapoo”

Deb Gille

I totaly understand this process and the emotions. Our 4-legged friends reamin in our hearts forever.

Josie is cuddled alongside me right now, and she would totally agree that our hearts will always be together. 🙂

This is sooooo sweet, Amy! I love that you made it from Josie’s point of view. I laughed out loud about the bomber jacket from Dad versus the pink and blue sweater from Mom!
Great article!

Hi Gayle,
Frank was the man who never wanted a dog and, wow, this one has stolen his heart.

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