Percy

I was just thinking that my dog Percy doesn't get nearly as much "journal time" as my family, so I'd write about him. I am a Dean Koontz fan (^5 Martha!), and in my favorite book of his, there is a super intelligent golden retriever named Einstien. Ever since reading that book in high school, I have wanted one. However, my parents had not read the book and therefore, did not want one as much as I. So....after being married for a few years, and having a 5 year old, my husband decided to surprise me with one.

The story was that he was going to a friend's house to help with a  move....in actuality, they were going to a breeders home to pick out our pups. The weird thing about it was, I had absolutely NO idea that he was doing this. None. However, as he was coming home, I was sitting on the bed with my daughter (I remember this like it was yesterday), and we were talking about what we would name a dog if we got one. We went through a list of names, and being that Thomas the Tank Engine was popular at the time, we chose Percy (the green engine).  I heard him pull up in the drive, and call to us. He said to my daughter, "Come out here right now and see what I found in the seat of the car!" She thought she had spilled something, and was a bit nervous. He pulled open the door, and there he was....all golden and furry and cute. Squealing with delights, Betsy picked him up and hugged him. I stood there, amazed. I told dh that we had just picked out a name for a dog, if we ever got one. I remember taking Percy into the back yard and he would run then plop down, too tired to get back up. He was a good puppy. He trained in three days....and to this day all I have to say is "go poop and potty" and he does it.  I also trained him so that when he comes into the porch from the outside, I say "paws" and he stops and lets me wipe his paws off so he doesn't get the floors dirty. How's that for obsessive?!

The other night he only had one phenobarb tablet left (for his epilepsy), so I left his pill container on the counter, along with mine with one pill left, so I wouldn't forget to refill our prescriptions. It's Betsy's job to give the dog his pills every night, but this night she had a lot of homework, so being the good mom that I am, I let him out and gave him his pill. Later that evening I went to take my last pill....and the bottle was empty. I go to Betsy's room and say, "Ummm, Bets, did you give the dog his pill?"
"Yes, why?"
"From the bottle on the counter?"
"Yes...."
"The one with only one pill left?"
Heavy sigh, "YES mother, why?"
"Well, because you obviously didn't read the bottle, and gave him MY last pill!" She sat straight up in bed...."Will it hurt him?"
"No, but he won't be obsessing for the next day or so...."