Chapter 3
(28th March 2000):
Gráinne is 4 (months old)
I
am a little girl
who has a little curl
right in the middle of her forehead
When
I am good,
I am very, very good,
but when I am bad, I am horrid.
Daddy calls me Dangel or Anvil, depending on whether the angel in me or the devil is in control.
Mummy and I went for our 1 1/2 hour walk in the woods this afternoon. On the way there I let her think I was all grown up, heeling at her left side (on the leash, of course) without pulling. I'm not dumb, you know, just because I can’t speak. Soon after we got into the woods I started thinking about this situation. Now it's very clear that when I'm on the leash, even the long one, I have to come when called, so I do it or else I wont get a reward and it will get enforced anyway. But in the woods, off the leash, Mummy is boring compared to all the good trouble I could get into. I heard Trainer Thomas tell the people that they have to be more interesting than another animal. Good luck! I can play that ball trick at home and cookies take second place to good sniffs and a game of chase. Mummy doesn’t chase me, though, so eventually I do take heed of her voice as it gets tenser and angrier. Another time when she calls me, I come flying at her and land in her arms. (I'm a great jumper now). That puts her back in a good mood. Last Friday Thomas wanted to show her what she was doing wrong with me and took me himself for a few minutes. Hah! I showed him that he wasn’t going to fool a Terrier into playing that dumb ball on a string stuff. Let his simple-minded Border Collie do that; they were bred to follow orders. We have wits. Thomas gave me back quickly and told her to get me calmed down. Round 240 for Gráinne!
I was well-behaved under the table at the local restaurant tonight and the waiter was nice to me. He brought me some sausage. Mummy told Daddy that she was feeling totally unmotivated to do any school work so he took us out for supper. It's not like she doesn’t have anything to do; the papers are piling up like the leaning tower of Pisa. The exam Grandpa sent the great book for last week is next Friday; then Mummy won’t have any more time for me. Ill just chew up a couple of shoes if they don’t pay enough attention to me.
Daddy's threatening to take pictures of me again. They laugh at me all the time because I've lost so many teeth. Why don’t they have any Tooth Fairies around here? Four new ones have come in and I still have four huge holes. Mummy has saved two of them, one of which she "pulled" herself. Teeny little things. How did I manage to make so many holes in skin and clothes with such baby stuff? And me such a big girl now. Those baby pictures are embarrassing. By the time you guys get here I’ll be so tall that I can wrap myself around your neck. (And I will!) They want to stuff me in that cage again. Just think of the fun I could have if they left me out at night. Dream on, Gráinne. Mum says she’ll write again soon. Have patience with her; I keep her busy.
Kiss, kiss, wag, wag,
Gráinne