Oogy_ The Dog Only a Family Could Love - Larry Levin [30]
“Thanks so much for everything, Diane,” I said.
“I’m happy to be able to do it,” she replied.
Just before Diane left, she knelt and gave Oogy a big hug and a kiss. When she stood, she rubbed her hands over the top of his head. “I love this guy,” she said. “He’s an amazing dog, and because you’re an animal person you’ll understand and appreciate what this dog is all about. He is really very special. He and your family are perfect for each other. You’ll have a great time, and your boys are going to have a best friend they’ll never forget. In six months, we’ll drop you a reminder to bring him in for a checkup.” And then she was gone, and Oogy and I were by ourselves for the first time.
Somewhere outside, a truck beeped in reverse. Then the sound stopped, and it was still and quiet except for the humming of the dryer over my head.
I leaned against the dishwasher and looked down at Oogy. He stood, his head slightly tilted expectantly, his tail wagging. Did he have some sense that things would be different from now on? Having gone through what he had, and never having known anything else, what did he think was awaiting him?
“Hello, Oogy,” I said. “From now on, that’s you. You’re Oogy. Oogy, Oogy, Oogy. Oogy for the rest of your days. Oogy ever after. You’re in our family now,” I explained. “There’s me, I’m Dad; Jennifer, who is Mom; and Danny and Noah, who are twelve. You’ll like the boys. They’re lots of fun. They’re in sixth grade and go to school up the street. We have a cat, Martha, who is upstairs at the moment. I’m not sure what she’ll think of you, but we’ll work something out. She’s kind of old and set in her ways. Too bad you never got to meet Buzzy. He was the cat who died the weekend we met you. In fact, he’s the reason we got to meet you. I think you and he could have been pals.” My back against the dishwasher, I slid to the floor and started to pet him gently. He began to lick my hands and arms, then started on my face until I pulled back. “We’re going to take good care of you,” I told him. “You won’t ever have to worry about anything again. You won’t ever have to be afraid of anything again. You will never be hungry or scared again. That’s my personal promise to you. Will you trust me on that?”
Oogy did not answer me. He did not acknowledge what I had said in any way. But his chocolate brown eyes seemed to be taking me in.
“High-five?” I asked.
I gave him a moment to comply, and when it became apparent that he would not, I said, “Okay, then. Here’s what we’ll get started with.”
I stood back up. I took his new collar, picked up the ID tag I had purchased and the rabies tag Diane had brought along, and then reached into the tool drawer and pulled out needle-nose pliers. I pried open the steel piece on the collar, slid on the tags, and closed the steel back over them, securing the tags into place. Finally, I sat back down, reached over, and lifted Oogy into my lap.
“This makes it official,” I said. I kissed his nose, and he licked me. “You now have your name and our phone number. So now there’s no excuse for not calling if you run off or get lost.”
I crossed my ankles in front of me and settled Oogy onto my lap. Experimentally, I placed the collar around his neck and clicked its plastic prongs into place. The collar was a tad large, so I removed it, tightened it up, and snapped it into place again. I took comfort in the fact that Oogy was now identified with our telephone number, confirmation that he belonged with us.
I placed him back on the floor and stood up again. I tore open the end of the package that held the gauze pads and pulled one out, then cut the pad in half with a pair of scissors. Oogy backed up a few steps, but his gaze never left me. I opened the bottle of blue lotion and spread some onto the gauze. Then I sat back down on the terra-cotta-tiled floor of the kitchen, which was cool