Sweetie Ain’t Bad For A ‘City Dog’
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Dear Editor,
I reckon this is my first letter to the paper, probably because I only started reading last week. It’s a funny story, really. Like any dog worth her treats, I was on high alert for the mailman—you never know when one of those fellas might get brave and try to break in with a stack of bills. Well, that day, the mailman delivered the Herald, and later on, I heard a ruckus inside when Bubba sat down with it.
Next thing I know, Bubba comes flying out the door, newspaper in hand, waving it like he just found out the Herald declared a national shortage of crackers and Vienna sausages. He held it up to my face, jabbed his finger at a picture, and hollered, “Princess! When did they take your picture for the paper?”
Now, I’ll admit, Sweetie and I do look have the same undeniable good looks—but I had to convince Bubba that nobody had been sneaking around taking glamour shots of me. I even heard him on the phone with that newspaper fella David, swearing up and down that he’d caught me in a case of double identity.
After a lot of explaining (and one very pointed demonstration of a patch of white fur that Sweetie has), Bubba finally admitted that maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t moonlighting as a newspaper columnist. Heck, I don’t even own a pencil.
Once that crisis passed, I got around to actually reading Sweetie’s article, and I gotta say, I enjoyed it. She had some fine ideas about what she’d do with thumbs. Me? I never gave thumbs much thought. Out here in Tillatoba, a country dog stays busy enough without ‘em.
For instance, on warm spring days, I go fishing with Bubba—not that he lets me take a dip, no matter how much I argue. I personally don’t see what the fuss is about. If I’m already outside and near the water, it makes perfect sense to go for a swim. But no, Bubba always claims I’ll scare off the fish. I think he’s just jealous that I can dog-paddle better than him.
In the winter, I tag along when he goes hunting, though I usually just curl up for a snooze under the deer stand. The way I see it, if I stay quiet and let him focus, he’s got a better chance of actually bringing something home. And if he doesn’t, well, that’s why the good Lord invented dog food.
But the best part of country living? Chasin’ squirrels and deer. Now, I don’t fool with deer too much—I’ll run ‘em about 50 yards just to remind ‘em whose land this is, then let ‘em go on their way. A deer ain’t worth the trouble when I got a full bowl of food waitin’ on me back home. But squirrels? They’re a whole ‘nother story. Well, let me tell you—I caught one the other day. Snatched him right off the ground before he even knew what happened. We had us a little… conversation, and let’s just say he won’t be back in my yard anytime soon.
Most of all, I love riding in the truck. No thumbs required for that. The moment I see Bubba heading that way, I make a beeline and hop in. Nothing in this world beats the feel of the wind flapping my ears .
City life might suit Sweetie just fine, but out here, I’ve got all the adventure I can use—no thumbs needed.
Princess
Bubba Tillman and his dog, Princess. She was found beside a mailbox when she was a small puppy. Those owners gave her to Donnie Simmons when she was about five or six years old. After Donnie passed, Bubba agreed to take Princess. She enjoys chasing squirrels and riding in Bubba’s old Ford pickup.
