The Pack Comes For A Visit

Yesterday, around noon, I was headed outside to clean the ice off the porch. As it happens, just send Lily and e-mail and their human came walking by. I went out to say hi, and to play with Dino, ha ha to play with Lily, and found that there was an unexpected treat there. Tug and Emma had followed along. They were going along the side and with Lily and Dino, sometimes playing with Lily sometimes just running along with, leaping over the snow.

When I got out into the street, where I would be visible to the dogs, I called them. Dino didn't come right away, but the rest of them came running, came sprinting, came leaping over the snow in great furry draining bounds.

I haven't seen Emma since the Sunday before Ozma died. Emma loves Ozma, loves her with the intensity of early imprint. Remember, we met Emma when she was just a meatloaf. I hadn't seen Emma in two months, well more now, but she was insanely happy to see me, jumping up on me, licking me, but always looking around me for Ozma.

Now Tug has seen me since, has seen me without Ozma. However, once he was with Emma, it was like he thought they had spent a special chance, a better chance to find Ozma. They ran past me, sprinting up the snowy driveway and onto the porch. Kathy opened door and let them in. I followed more slowly.

When I got inside, they were being petted, being made welcome, but they had a mission. It was a mission that had to fail. You see, they were looking for Ozma. They swirled around like great white sharks, except they're both so dark and richly colored that that's a bad image. During continuous motion look treats looking for low looking for Ozma.

We fed them, that I took them back outside. We met up with Lily and Dino and their human, and I walked back with them playing with the puppies the whole time. I called myself their dead mother. I'm the one who hovers a little bit, making sure fights to get too rough. I also get out the treats. It was, as I think I said, a bittersweet afternoon. They are so happy, and treat me like, well, one of the pack. They expect me to play, they, my call, they rub up against me. They accept me completely. But let me put it another way of cars, they let me break up fights. They follow me home when they have to go. Well, that worked better if I have a pocketful of treats, but they do follow.

But they aren't Ozma, they look for Ozma, and Oz would've loved it. She loved Lily, she loved Emma, she loves Tug, and she loved making her pack larger that was what was happening yesterday -- Emma and Tug packing up with Lily, taking turns being the dog in front, being the dog in charge, well not in charge but the dog initiating play.

Ozma should've been there, and everybody except maybe Dino knew it. Merry Christmas.