Slugs, Snails and Puppy Dog Tales!

India was curled up on the bed, slumbering peacefully, when she became aware of a faint noise, just on the edge of her hearing.  As she was having a particularly nice dream, she decided to ignore it, and she was just going back to the field she was running through, when she heard the noise again, a little bit louder this time.

“Ninja!”

She opened one eye, cautiously.  In the twilight, she could just make out the figure of Rohan, the Labrador retriever puppy, staring hopefully at her from his crate.  She snapped her eye shut again quickly, hoping he wouldn’t notice, and attempted to get back to sleep.

“NINJA!”

India opened the one eye again.  Rohan was still staring at her.  There was clearly nothing for it, she would have to answer him.  Reluctantly opening both eyes, she raised her head from her paws.

“Is that you making that noise?”  She asked, crossly.

“Yeth” Rohan nodded enthusiastically.

“What were you saying?”

“I was thaying your name.  I wanted to thee if you were athleep” Rohan grinned, sheepishly.

“I was asleep!” India grumbled, “My name? What do you mean ‘my name’?  You were saying ‘ninja’!”

“Yeth!” Rohan agreed, wagging his little tail enthusiastically.

“That’s not my name.  I’m called ‘India’, after the country” India said, proudly.

“Injure?” Rohan attempted.

“No, ‘India’” India corrected, “It’s In – Dee – Ah.  You try it.  Say ‘In’”

“In” Rohan copied.

“Dee”

“Dee”

“Ah”

“Ahhhh”

“Good, now put them all together”

“Ninja” Rohan grinned.

“Oh, you’re hopeless!  Go back to sleep!”

“Can’t thleep” Rohan shook his head, “what’th a country?”

“Eh?”

“You thaid you were named after a country, what’th a country?”

“Oh, well, this is I suppose.” India shrugged, which isn’t easy for a dog, “Everything around us”

Rohan looked all around the room, curiously.

“Thith ith a country?”  He asked.

“Well, not just this room.  Everything, everywhere.  Well, everything that you or I are likely to ever see.  But this is just one country, there are others, and one of them is called ‘India’ and it’s very big and a very long way away” India explained, adding “It’s exotic, apparently” and immediately regretting it.

“What’th exotic?”

“I don’t really know” India frowned, “Dankey told me that, a long time ago.  She was a very old donkey, who used to live here, before you ask.  I’m not sure what it means but I think it’s quite special”

“What’th a donkey, Ninja?”

“Look, I can’t spend all night answering your questions.  I need to get my sleep so that I can help with all the children and animals tomorrow.  Now, go to sleep!”

“I can’t thleep” Rohan said, miserably.

“Why not?”  India frowned.

“I mith my mom!” Rohan looked down at his front paws.

“Oh!” India sat up and looked at the miserable little figure in the crate below.  She remembered how she had felt when she first came to TURN.  She hadn’t been much bigger than Rohan was now and she had felt alone, a little bit afraid and definitely missed her mum.  Packham, the chocolate brown Labrador, was a fully grown dog, already here and none too pleased to be sharing his sleeping accommodation with a puppy, just as she was a bit disgruntled now.  Nevertheless, he had talked to her, on that first night, and reassured her, so she really ought to do the same.  “Look, I know how you feel.  When I was a puppy and I first came here, I missed my mom too.  But that was a long time ago.  Now, it feels as though I’ve always lived here, and it’ll be the same for you.  I guess your mom gave you the speech, didn’t she?”

“Yeth” Rohan nodded, “I wath to be a good dog and alwayth do ath I’m told”

“That’th right, I mean, that’s right” India smiled, “that’s what all our moms say to us and what they want for us dogs.  She’ll have taught you everything you needed to know, to be a good dog, while you were with her.  Now, it’s up to you to learn how to be a big, grown-up, responsible dog, as part of your new family.  There’s a lot to learn, but I’ll help you”

“’’nk you, Ninja” Rohan grinned and wagged his tail.

“But I can’t do that if I don’t get my sleep!  Now, settle down”

“I know what Rohan meanth” Rohan said, proudly.

“Do you?“ Despite her hopes of getting back to sleep, India was curious, “What does it mean?”

“It meanth ‘red-haired’” Rohan looked very pleased with himself.

“’Red-haired’?  But you’re not red-haired!  I’m red-haired!”  India pointed out.

“Ok, you can be ‘Rohan’ and I’ll be ‘Ninja’” Rohan offered.

“No, I don’t think so” India shook her head.  “I like being ‘India’”

“I like being ‘Rohan’” Rohan agreed.  “It meanth thomething elth, too”

“Such as?”

“It meanth…” Rohan looked all around, as if to check that nobody was listening, “’keeper of wolveth’” He sat up straight and looked quite proud.

“Really?” India looked at the little figure and tried not to giggle, “Wolves eh?  Well, we’ve got a lot of different animals here, you’ll see them all when you can go outside, but I don’t think we’ve got any wolves”

“Well, if you get any, I’ll keep them for you” Rohan puffed his little chest out.

“Do you know what wolves are?” India grinned.

“No” Rohan admitted.

“They’re like dogs, only much, much bigger, with huge teeth and claws”

“Oh!” Rohan looked a bit dismayed, “perhapth I could keep the little oneth, jutht until I’m a bit bigger?” He suggested.

“That sounds like a plan” India chuckled, “now, go to sleep.  It’ll soon be morning”

India settled down and closed her eyes.  Then her very sensitive nose detected something.  She put both paws over her nostrils, but she could still smell it.

“What’s that?”  She asked, crossly.

“I done a thmell” Rohan said, proudly.

“It’s disgusting!”  India said, from between her paws.

“’nk you!” Rohan nodded.

“It wasn’t a compliment!” India growled.

“What’th a comprement?” Rohan asked.

“It means when someone says something nice about you, and I didn’t!  Now, go to sleep and stop making smells!”

“Ok.  Night, night Ninja”

“Goodnight, Rohan.  Sleep tight and no smells, do you hear?”

“Yeth, Ninja”

India could hear Rohan giggling to himself as he settled down in his crate and then, very shortly after, the steady breathing of a puppy sleeping soundly.

India settled down to sleep, herself.  She had forgotten just how tiring puppies could be!  It would be good to have another dog in the house again, she thought, but it looked like it could be quite a long time before he would fill Packham’s pawprints.  There would be a lot to learn, for both of them, along the way.  And probably quite a few smells, too!

Now try the next episode 'Foxed!'

All of the stories about Packham and India are contained in a paperback - 'Waggy Dog Tales' - all of the profits from the sale of this book go to help TURN Education with their marvellous work with children, young people and their families.  You can buy it from Amazon but then the only profit for TURN is just 40p!  Purchasing it direct from us means we can donate around £2.50 per copy, which makes a big difference.  If you would like a copy, email me on mail@philwhiteland.co.uk

You can find out a lot more about TURN Education at www.turneducation.co.uk and more about 'Waggy Dog Tales' in my ABCtales blog post  - A Waggy Dog Story