Teddy and Roo
Chapter 5 - Off to the Vet
The next morning Roo was no better, and now her grumbly tummy had a painful ache to it as well. As Roo turned down yet another meal, Mrs shook her head. "I'm afraid it's off to the vet for you, my girl. The veterinary clinic kept short, emergency hours on Sundays, and if Mrs hurried, they would be just in time for the morning appointment. The ride was short but rather unpleasant for Roo, as the rolling motion of the station wagon made her feel even more nauseous. She arrived at the vet feeling awful. Despite skipping two meals, her tummy had a queasy, leaden feel to it.
They arrived at the vet just as a Border Collie went limping in behind its owner. Mrs took a seat in the waiting room with a very forlorn-looking Roo. The clinic had that sterile, hospital smell that comes with medicine and disinfectant. Roo tried not to breathe it in, but the smell was everywhere. Her stomach lurched. Her eyes watered. She looked at Mrs, then promptly vomited up a large and very smelly puddle, right onto the linoleum floor in the waiting room.
The receptionist was up in an instant, and calmly called for an orderly with a bucket and a mop. Mrs nearly died of embarrassment, but the receptionist, a grey-haired lady called Mrs Bailey, had seen far worse from behind her desk. She gave Roo a gentle pat on the head and told her not to worry about it one bit.
Just then, the door to the vet's office opened and the limping Collie dog came out with a big white bandage on its leg. Dr Cooper called Mrs in and she led the way with Roo trotting meekly beside her. Behind them, the sour smell of vomit was now mingled with Pine disinfectant. "Oh dear, not feeling too well today, are we?" the vet asked gently as he boosted Roo up onto the examination table. He carefully felt her tummy, looked at her gums, and took her temperature. Truth be told, Roo already felt better since depositing the contents of her stomach on the clinic floor. The queasiness was slowly being replaced by a dull headache, but at least the unpleasant stomach cramps had subsided.
Dr Cooper diagnosed a mild case of Garbage Dog disease. Roo's fondness for smelly things was no secret, and the recent trip to the beach had clearly involved more than seagulls and sand. Roo thought guiltily of the ripe, tasty morsels she had found hidden amongst the seaweed yesterday as they walked along the sand. Two of them had definitely been fish-like in origin, but it was quite likely the third, unidentifiable bit of rotting something which had given her the gripes. Dr Cooper administered a precautionary jab to take care of any lingering nasties and told Mrs to keep an eye on Roo for the next day or two. Then he assured Roo that she would soon be feeling better.
They arrived home fifteen minutes later. Roo already looked much perkier, but Mrs still cringed at the memory of Roo's incident at the veterinary clinic. Ted met them at the gate, tail wagging ten to the dozen. The rest of the day passed quietly and incident free. By supper time, Roo even managed a slightly subdued version of her usual Dinner-Dance. She did eat just a little more slowly than usual, but she was definitely, definitely on the mend.
Chapter 6 - Starlight and Station Wagons
One Friday evening after work, Mr drove the couple's clapped out old station wagon down the drive alongside the house and parked in front of the dilapidated wooden shed that doubled as a workshop. The car really was quite old and frequently needed bits patched or replaced. Mr got out an assortment of tools and tinkered around in the engine. An hour later, covered in old-car grease and grime, he finished up and went inside the house.
The two dogs had happily sniffed around the car while Mr was busy with the engine. It had been a week since their last trip to the beach (and Roo's roadside tumble) and there were still delightful traces of beach-smell on the car. Every now and then Roo gave the tyres a surreptitious lick. They tasted faintly salty. Ted said he could also detect a faint whiff of horse about the car and poked his nose into every little crevice to savour it.
After dinner, Mr made one last attempt to fix the car, but it required more tinkering than he could manage in one night. He went off to bed, leaving the car in the back garden. The dogs went to bed too, but it was a warm, summery night and the kennel was rather stuffy with two furry bodies in it. Sometime around midnight, Roo trotted off for a drink of water. When she returned, the kennel was empty. She found Ted sniffing around the station wagon.
The moon was full and bright and the garden was bathed in a soft, pearly glow. With Mr no longer standing in front of the bonnet, the dogs could thoroughly investigate every inch of the vehicle unhindered. Roo pushed her head up and under the front bumper for a jolly good lick and a sniff. Then she lay on her tummy and crawled a little further in under the car. It was there that she spotted the wires dangling down from the engine. Mr had disconnected them earlier and they still hung temptingly down, just out of reach. Roo crawled in even further. With a sort of half-roll-and-a-twist, she could just about reach them. The wires were coated in soft, insulating plastic. Roo licked them. Yum, they tasted like her plastic chew toys. Then she nibbled the closest one delicately with her front teeth. The worn plastic insulation came off easily in satisfying little strips. Roo nibbled some more and decided that it was very, very relaxing.
Ted finished sniffing the tyres and poked his head under the car. "What are you doing, Roo?" he asked, but she had her teeth on the wires and all Ted heard was,"Mnfggnngannghawerh." Maybe it was the balminess of the weather, maybe it was simply because Roo was enjoying herself so much, but whatever the reason, Ted flopped down onto his stomach and without a second thought, leopard crawled in under the car to join her.
It was a long and glorious night. Ted didn't have quite the same knack for nibbling as Roo, but he did manage to find a particularly nice bundle of wires tucked in behind the front bumper. They were much newer than the ones Roo had enjoyed (having been replaced only a year ago) which made the nibbling more challenging and therefore, more fun. By sunrise the two dogs were quite tuckered out. Underneath and around the car, tiny shards of plastic decorated the grass. They trotted happily back to their kennel, which had cooled off beautifully in the early hours of the morning, and was now the perfect temperature for a pre-breakfast nap.
Chapter 7 - Caught Out
Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny. Summer was now in full swing. Roo awoke to the sounds of birds, and a little shaft of sunlight that peeped into the kennel. She opened one sleepy eye, stretched her legs and wandered off to do her early morning business. Ted lay on his back, snoring gently. Roo was gone for exactly 30 seconds before she came scurrying back with a very worried look on her face.
"Ted, Ted, come quickly!" she exclaimed, "I think we did something bad!" Ted's eyes shot open. The hazy, muggy, deliciousness of sleep was rudely replaced by the memory of last night's exploits. The two dogs ran over to where the station wagon stood. Multi-coloured, plastic confetti littered the lush, green grass which sparkled with early morning dew. "Oh no, oh no!" moaned Roo, "they're going to be so, so cross!" "Maybe they won't notice," said Ted optimistically, but he didn't sound too convinced. The two dogs quietly slunk back to their kennel to await the dreaded discovery.
Meanwhile, Mr had surfaced. His favourite part of Saturday morning was to enjoy a nice, quiet cup of coffee on the veranda outside the back door. He had, in fact, just shuffled outside in his slippers, steaming mug in hand. The birds were kicking up a racket in the neighbour's garden, but it promised to be a lovely day. He almost didn't mind the prospect of working on the car, since it was almost done anyway. But as he stood on the veranda surveying the garden, a glint of yellow caught his eye. And then a bit of red, and then some blue, and then more yellow. A horrible realisation dawned. Mr hurried across the wet grass, soaking his slippers in the process. It had only just occurred to him that the dogs were nowhere in sight.
A loud yell (and some unmentionable language) reached the doghouse where the two culprits were holed up. Mrs came out of the house to see what all the fuss was about. When she saw Mr on his hands and knees in the wet grass, peering under the car, she shook her head, sighed and went back inside
the house.
Breakfast was a subdued affair. Once Mr had calmed down, Mrs dished up the dogs' food in silence. Roo thought this was even worse than being shouted at. She snuck a sideways glance at Ted, but he was keeping his head well down. Without a word, the two of them finished up and scuttled back to their kennel. It was going to be a long day.
Mr had to go to the store, again. He returned with more wiring, insulation tape, and a bad case of the grumps. The two hour fix-up would now take most of the day. It was not good.
The dogs wisely kept to themselves. The little courtyard where their kennel stood was flooded with sunshine, but inside the kennel, the mood was dark. Even a few careless birds around the water bowl could not excite Ted. He was usually such a conscientious dog, and being bad (even unintentionally) made him feel quite low. Roo, on the other hand, was feeling quite chipper. In her own inimitable way, she had come to the conclusion that the car incident really hadn't been their fault. The silly car never should have been left out overnight in the first place, and if a few bits of plastic suffered as a result, then so be it. But she kept this opinion to herself as she lay in the kennel, chewing on her favourite toy.
Chapter 8 - Inside is good, outside is Bad
Needless to say, the car did take most of the day to fix, and by nightfall, it was still not entirely finished. It was now completely undrivable and would most certainly be spending another night out under the stars, whilst the dogs would be brought inside for the night.
Ted liked sleeping inside the house - it made him feel much closer to his beloved people. Roo, on the other hand, did not. She loved her people well enough, and liked lying on the mat in the lounge after supper, but she much preferred to sleep outside. She was a bossy, curious little dog who liked to patrol the garden at night and check that everyone and everything was behaving as it should. The house was far too confining for her liking.
But, inside they were staying. After a long, dull TV movie, Mr and Mrs went off to bed, leaving the dogs in the lounge for the night. Mrs closed the door behind them to prevent Roo wandering up and down the passage.
Ted was finally feeling better after a long day of self-recrimination. Mr had given them supper with only a few muttered words, which Ted took as a promising improvement on the complete silence of breakfast. Now he lay on his back on the mat, all four paws lazily relaxed. The house was dead quiet, but Roo could not get comfortable. The lovely little breeze which had wafted through the windows all evening was now shut out, and with the lounge door closed, the room grew steadily stuffier. She lay this way and then that; she tried cuddling up to Ted (who was just way too hot) and finally decided to try lying on the floor instead. The worn, polished wood was lovely and cool, but her claws kept slipping on the shiny surface. It was pointless.
The house was just as ancient and well-loved as the station wagon. It wasn't particularly big, but it had high ceilings, large airy rooms and an assortment of hand-me-down furniture. It was, as they say, a fixer-upper, and Mrs was slowly redecorating while Mr renovated. The house had a cosy charm about it.
Roo, meanwhile, was huffing and sighing irritably. She was tired and she was hot, and she became even more annoyed when Ted started snoring loudly. Then her eye fell on the newly recovered couch. It was low and wide, with deep, comfy seats. Until recently, it had been covered in a vicious, beige floral fabric, but Mrs had had it redone in rich, plummy corduroy. It looked exceptionally comfy. Without hesitation, Roo hopped neatly up onto the middle seat. Ah, that was lovely! She did a little shimmy, turned around twice, and soon fell fast asleep.
The next morning, Roo woke early and climbed quietly off the couch. A slight dent and a round patch of creamy fur remained behind on the cushion. She had had a wonderful night's sleep despite the snoring that had come from Ted on the floor below. The furry freight train was, in fact, still chuffing and blowing loudly. Roo lay down next to him and dozed happily for another hour. Eventually, Mrs came shuffling through to let the dogs out. It had not been a good night. Between the summer mosquitoes, the frogs and one loud, snoring dog, she had not slept well at all. She bumbled blearily into the lounge, took one look at the fur on the couch, and muttered "Oh, good grief," before turning around and walking out.
Chapter 9 - Fwogth and Thnailth
Summer passed in a haze of sunny days, trips to the beach, and the occasional bee sting for Roo. One weekend, after a heavy bout of rain, Mr decided to rip up the scraggly grass down the side of the house and replace it with instant lawn and pavers. It was a shady, uneven strip of garden, long neglected and completely overgrown with trees and weeds. When it rained, the area became a squishy mess that attracted bugs and mosquitoes. Mrs wanted to tidy it up nicely and make a quiet reading spot for herself, with shady trees for the wild birds. A new wooden bench and a bird bath had been delivered the previous day. (There was also talk of Roo-proofing with a wooden fence. Roo was not amused). The soil on that side was rich and dark; it made the stickiest, squelchiest mud. By lunchtime on the first day, both dogs had very grubby paws, and there were muddy foot prints all over the veranda. They had also managed to get under everyone's feet. An exasperated Mrs finally marched them off through the side gate and into the small, enclosed front garden which was usually off limits to the dogs. Mrs had spent a lot of time making the front garden green and lush and beautiful - it was her pride and joy. A small fountain cascaded gently into a pond in the corner, which was home to a dozen or so fat, lazy goldfish. It was a picture perfect setting, and Roo usually wasn't allowed near it. Now, the two muddy critters looked at each other in delight.
Mrs had optimistically thrown a few of their toys into the front garden with them to try and limit the damage. After a good nose through the flower beds, they had a rollicking game of Grab-The-Stick, followed by Tag. It involved an awful lot of running (mostly through the flowers) until Ted announced that he needed a rest. He found a shady spot that was perfect for a lazy afternoon snooze. Roo continued to wander through the plants (Mrs would have been horrified, had she noticed) finding snails, ants and the occasional interesting rock. The garden had a distinct smell of cat about it - clearly the neighbourhood felines had been spending too much time in here. Roo could just picture them lounging smugly on Mrs's manicured lawn, and chasing Mrs's beloved wild birds. The very thought of it made her hackles rise. It was while she was knee deep in a bed of purple flowers that Roo got a whiff of something delightfully new. It had a slightly wet and pondy feel to it. She rooted excitedly through the reeds and plants that grew around the water feature. The smell was definitely stronger there. She pushed her snout through a dense tangle of roots and leaves, and snorted loudly into the plants. A little green frog leapt out in surprise, and bounced off madly into the garden. Roo was after it like a shot. She followed its hippity-hoppity trail through the plants and leaves, daring to nip at it as it bounced and even managing to get it one, quick lick. Blegh! It tasted horrible, but what fun to chase! The little frog eventually dived through a gap in the wall and disappeared. "Oh pooh!" whined Roo, "come back and play!" But the frog was having none of it. Roo flopped down happily on the grass next to Ted. He was making little wuffley sounds in his sleep; it was obviously a very good dream.
Roo closed her eyes, panting. The day was hot, and all of a sudden, she was very, very thirsty. She trotted off to the pond for a drink. The water tasted a bit fishy, but otherwise it was cool and refreshing. She lay down on the grass again. But she was still thirsty, and now her throat was starting to itch and her tongue was tingling oddly. A few minutes later, Ted awoke to a head butting him rudely in the side. It was Roo, rubbing her face frantically on the grass beside him.
"Thed, Thed, I can't theel m' thungue!" she exclaimed, pawing at her muzzle. Ted opened one sleepy eye and looked at her curiously. Gooey, glistening ribbons of drool were dangling from Roo's mouth. Ted sat bolt-upright. "Eeeugh!" he cried, "you're mouth's all slobby! What HAVE you been doing?"
"Flaying w' tha' flog," Roo replied
sheepishly. "Id hoth'd awa'."
Luckily for Roo, Mrs chose this exact moment to check on the dogs. She opened the front door of the house, and the two animals went bounding over to her. Roo's drippy drool made wet puddles on the front step. "Oh, good grief, Roo, not again!" exclaimed Mrs, "Now what have you done?" Mrs ran back into the house, called out something to Mr, then reappeared, car keys in hand. Her hair was in a messy bun, she was wearing her gardening clothes and there was mud all over her shoes.
"Really, Roo!" she exclaimed, as she bundled the dog out of the front gate, "Your timing is spectacular; I'm a complete mess!" Roo was unceremoniously hoisted into the back of the car, gob still dripping everywhere, while Ted stayed behind in the front garden. Luckily the veterinary clinic was only a short drive away, and open or morning appointments.
Mrs returned half an hour later. Ted's ears pricked up as he heard the old vehicle making its way down the street. He bounded over to the driveway, expecting to see a furry blond head hanging out the window, but Mrs was alone. As the car pulled up to the gate, Mr came out the front door to hear what the vet had said. He gave Ted's ears an affectionate rub as he went past. It turned out Roo had frog poisoning. It didn't appear serious, but the vet had decided she should spend the night in hospital just to be on the safe side. The rest of the afternoon passed quietly enough and that night Ted was allowed to sleep inside so that he wouldn't feel too alone.
The next morning, Mr got stuck into his gardening early and Mrs went off to fetch Roo. Ted was allowed to jump in the van and go along for a ride. At the vet's, he waited excitedly in the van while Mrs went in to fetch Roo. They reappeared a short while later, Roo bouncing madly on her leash, looking none the worse for wear.
After lots of happy hello licks and sniffs, Roo settled down in the back of the station wagon. The awful drooling had stopped, and her tongue no longer itched. She looked very pleased with herself and talked non-stop all the way home. By the time they reached the house, Ted had heard all about the other sick animals at the vet (including a rabbit and a cockatoo), about the nice assistants (Jenny and Elise), the nasty injection (so big!) and even about what she'd had for supper (a lovely soft dish of rice and liver for her sensitive mouth). Trust Roo to make a trip to the vet sound like an exotic holiday. There was however, no mention of the frog.