The Gates of
Heaven Open Wide
This summer has
not been kind to my beloved black lab, Bella. Let’s face it, a black fur coat
is not the kind of thing you want to wear to the beach on a hot, sunny day. And
this has been one hot, muggy summer. Furthermore, in her old age, she has
developed a real fear of fireworks. It wouldn’t be so bad if the kids (and
grown up kids) in the neighborhood would restrict themselves to the 4th
of July, but the noise begins in mid June and gradually fizzles out sometime in
late July. Poor Bella can be enjoying her day until a single firecracker will
send her slinking into the basement to cringe under some piece of furniture.
But perhaps the cruelest blow of all for Bella this year has been the loss of
one of her most beloved enjoyments. We never really turn on the air conditioner
for ourselves, we do it for Bella and Charlie, our guinea pig. And it is our
great joy to watch Bella realize that the air has been turned on and see her
plop herself upon the air vent. But several weeks ago, I walked into the house
to discover the grating for the air vent not where it should have been but under
the dining room table. I put the grate back but since that time, Bella will not
go near it. Me and the Misses have put 2+2 together and made the following
assumption: one day while enjoying the cool air coming from the register, Bella
must have got her dog collar caught in the grate and lifted it out. Who knows
how long she had to carry the heavy, cumbersome object around, but it is clear
that she doesn’t want to risk doing so again.
But all is not
bad in Bella‘s life. In fact there was one event that was so spectacular, it
just may have made up for the rest.
One block down
from us is a bakery, the old-fashioned family-owned kind that is closed on
Sunday and for a week in the summer when the owners go on vacation. The kind of
bakery that sends its tantalizing aroma down the block to my front porch, an
aroma enticing enough to challenge any good intentions when it comes to
dieting. For 11 years now, my wife and I have walked Bella past this bakery
most every day. When we walk together, one of us occasionally will stop in
while the other waits outside with Bella. While we sometimes get donuts or
sweets for ourselves, we never leave without getting a dog cookie, baked fresh,
for Bella. Upon leaving the store, we will hand the bag with the cookie in it
to Bella and she will carry it home. When she was younger, she would carry the
bag gently by the end in the same way Jackie Kennedy might have carried a
handbag. Now that she is older, though, she seems less willing to take chances
and carries it as tightly wedged into her mouth as she can get it. Either way,
I walk her home and feel the same misplaced and slightly disturbing pride that
a mother of a toddler beauty pageant contestant must feel. I have few vanities
in life, but I love to see people driving down the road turn and look at my
dog.
My wife was not
with me on my last walk, but my dog was giving me the same hints she always
does as we approached the bakery. Feeling sorry for her, I suddenly thought of
just poking my head through the door and asking if they could bring a dog
cookie to the door. I did so, and to my amazement, they told me to just bring
her inside. Never in my life could I have imagined that someone would allow a
dog into a bakery, it just doesn’t seem like a very smart thing to do. Dogs are
notoriously lacking in manners as Bella was quick to demonstrate. I think it
must have been the thrill of her life to enter this building that housed such
gastronomical delights. She predictably behaved in a manner unmannerly, but
with such genuine enthusiasm as to make it forgivable. I’m sure there were nose
smears on the display windows that needed cleaning after we left, as Bella
demanded a close view of every croissant, scone, cookie and pie that was on
display. As it was, she left quite satisfied with her typical dog cookie,
carrying it in a bag wedged far back in her mouth. 11 years of curiosity were
finally satisfied for her, in what was surely one of the most momentous events
of her life.
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