Bodies Story (M.J.Watt)

From the moment I first opened my eyes, I knew I was loved. I had looked around at all my new brothers, sisters and my mummy. Shortly afterwards, I was given the name, Bodie.
Over the next six weeks I played with my siblings, got into trouble with my siblings and most importantly, I discussed important matters with my siblings.
Our owners were talking about a change in our lives. At first, we thought it would be a change in the type of puppy food we were getting. Then Mummy explained that we would all be leaving her soon. We were all very sad and scared. We slept with Mummy every night after that so that we would never forget her love for us.
One day my siblings and I were talking about what we wanted to be when we grew up. All my sisters wanted to be mummies. All my brothers wanted to be wild rangers. I wanted to protect a great house yard, like Daddy did. I didn’t ever see Daddy much because he was always either protecting the house yard or having a nap in his kennel.
One day strange people came to our yard and cuddled us and played with us. It was so much fun but then one group of people picked up one of my sisters. Another family picked up one of my brothers.
While the humans were talking my mummy explained to all us puppies that this was good bye and that it would be their duty to look after their people. Mummy said good bye and they both left.
Over the next month that’s what happened to all my siblings. All of them except me.
Mummy didn’t want the humans to send me to the pound because I was the last one left. Mummy snuck into the house, early in the morning and played with our owner’s light box thing. They called it a fone. Mummy promised that someone would find out about me and take me home with them. I wanted a home of my own, but I would miss Mummy, she’s my best friend.
Mummy was right. Someone did want me! Three days later a family of humans came to play with me! There were three tiny people, a woman who was carrying the smallest tiny person and a man with a big smile. One of the tiny people, a boy I think, came up to me and gave me a scratch on the chin. It was a wonderful feeling. The other tiny person was a girl and she was hiding behind the man. She looked terrified. The smiling man pushed the girl towards me. I just sat there and looked at her curiously. The little girl put out her hand with her head turned away. I sniffed her hand to see if it was edible. It wasn’t so I gave her hand the biggest kiss I could.
I said good bye to Mummy, my best friend and my second last family that I had left. I gave Mummy the biggest hug ever and that made me cry a bit. I nodded towards Daddy and he gave an approving nod back.
Before I knew it, I was on the little boy’s lap in the back seat of the car. I found out that the boys name was Archie, the girls name was Morgan and the tiny one’s name was Finn. The man and woman were my new human mummy and daddy.
We arrived at my new home after a long drive. I couldn’t believe how big the yard was. It was over eight times as big as my old yard. It was all mine. New trees to pee on, new birds to get rid of and new smells to figure out. I loved it.
Every couple of days Morgan and Archie would disappear in the mornings and come back in the afternoons. Finn was very smelly and not a good smell. Finn didn’t disappear very often. Finn sometimes did something cute and everyone would give him attention and not me. I think Morgan understood because she would play with me when Archie was playing with Finn. When Morgan was busy, and Finn was asleep I played with Archie. He could always scratch me in the right spot.
Over the next two years it was great. Finn learnt how to walk and talk. Once Finn had started talking, there was no stopping him. He talked a lot of utter nonsense, to me but Mummy seemed to understand. (I think?)
One day they all went out for a while. The family did this all the time. When they got back, they had a surprise for me. A little ball of fluff? The ball moved and whimpered.
“Hello?” said the fluff ball. I realized that it was a puppy!?
“Hello, I’m Bodie. Who are you and what are you doing in my yard?” I said slowly so I didn’t scare the puppy. This was very confusing.
“I’m Millie and I think I live here too now.” Millie said shivering and on the verge of tears. “I miss Mummy” She said beginning to cry.
“Don’t cry these people will take good care of you.” I had said trying to sooth her problems.
“Bodie, this is Millie and she is you’re younger sister from your old home.” Mummy said to me. That cleared things up a bit. Millie was my little sister. The humans had given me someone to teach. Just like at Puppy Preschool. I was the best at Puppy Preschool, all I had to do was not do as I was told and play fight with the other puppies. The humans had taken me to learn but it was more fun to make friends.
I taught Millie the basics of living here, like how to get rid of birds, how to wait and bark at the bully birds that sat on the roof, how to know when it was time for dinner and other stuff. The humans didn’t know it yet, but they had unintentionally given me someone to blame for all my mistakes. I told Millie it was a game called “take the blame” she didn’t like it much. Otherwise, Millie and I were good friends and we both loved eating soccer balls.
One night I was about to go to sleep when I heard a car pull in. There were no lights on in the house, so I did the only thing I could. I barked repeatedly. The car started doing loop de loops on the ground dangerously close to the kid’s bedrooms.
I had to keep barking till I saw my Daddy run out the door with a light in his hand. Daddy would take it from here. I had done my job. I had been a protector just like my old daddy had at my old home. If my birth mummy had seen me, I knew she would be proud. I told myself that from that night on I would not go to sleep at night, and I would try and fit some sleep in in the day. If I had been asleep, that car could have crashed into the house and hurt Archie or Morgan. I was not about to let that happen again.
I absolutely hated the vet, so did Millie. We loved going to the vet though. It meant that we got to go in Mummy’s car!
If there was a list of things, I feared it would have blow dryers and thunder storms. Blow dryers are so scary, and they make a scary noise. Thunder storms are loud, bright and did I mention they are loud?
Millie got bigger and more confident every day. Millie would talk to me for hours and try to talk to me when I was having a nap in the afternoon. Millie also loved playing with the ball when Finn didn’t want her to, so sometimes she would get in trouble.
Our Daddy always had people come in my yard, whether he was home or not. When ever someone new would show up I would get a feeling in my belly that would tell me who was supposed to be there and who wasn’t.
One day Mummy and Daddy gave Millie and I new beds, which I thought was strange. The next morning Morgan explained that they would be going on holiday for four whole weeks!
Millie and I started to freak out. What was going to happen to us? Where were we going to go? Usually when they went on holidays we stayed at home and Nana Human would look after us whenever she felt like it but this time our family was packing our brand-new beds into the car. Millie and I jumped in after the beds and no one even made us get out.
The car had left, and we were going down a hill, when Millie and I overheard the kids saying how much they would miss us. The car stopped and we got out and we were in a completely different yard! Two little boys with pale blond hair came running towards the car. Archie started talking to the taller one and Finn started talking to the smaller one.  More tall humans were everywhere. Then Millie and I smelt it. Another dog had shown up.
“Who are you?” said the strange dog. “You’re not going to take my yard, are you?” The dog asked nervously.
“I’m Millie and this is my big brother Bodie, who are you?” Millie asked as confidently and as smiley as ever. It was one of those days when I was happy, she was my little sis.
“I’m Rosy and here’s some advice” She started whispering as if the humans might hear her. “See those boys with the white fur on their heads over there? Steer clear of them. They will do the strangest stuff and they hurt me, see?” Rosy pointed to her paw. “They drove over my paw while I was asleep.”
Millie and I explained to rosy that we would only be here for four weeks. When our family left, it was just Millie, Rosy and I.
I really liked the man with pale white fur on his head. Rosy explained that he was the boy’s Daddy. Millie really liked the old lady that was the boy’s Nana human.
Millie and I stayed outside, like good dogs, but Rosy was always trying to sneak inside but she was always put back outside again.
The weeks passed slowly but it was ok, I had Millie. I would wait for a whole year if I had to, just to see my family again.
One day when I was chasing cars up and down the yard. I had noticed a familiar looking car. I barked and barked until finally the car had pulled in. It was our family!
Mummy, Daddy, Morgan, Archie and Finn all got out of the car and came running towards Millie and me. We were so happy to see everyone. Millie was so happy that she had peed everywhere.
Our family had started packing our beds away in the car, Millie and I realized that it was our last chance to say good bye to Rosy. She cried a lot and that made it very hard to say bye.
At home I jumped out of the car and realized that something was wrong. I looked under the clothes line and saw about eight birds siting there, pooping, screeching and just being annoying in general. Millie and I took a deep breath and ran at the feathery pests and barked until all the birds had flown off in fear.
Over the next two years it was strait forward. The family would go away on holidays every now and again, but they would always come back for us.
What happened after that will remain a surprise. I love surprises. Millie was a little surprise and she turned out to be a great surprise. Hopefully the future will too.
“From a dog that knows that he is very loved, Bodie.”
The End…..for now.