Belle and Daisy (4)

All dogs need to go to the vet at some stage in their lives. If they don’t then they must have superpowers and belong in a comic book franchise. Daisy, poor Daisy, needed to go to the vet to get a suspicious lump removed that was growing on her undercarriage. It was going to be an in and out job where, thankfully, she wouldn’t need to stay over.

The Coopers, Fiona and Lorraine, didn’t have a bean between them. They were up to their eyes in debt and Daisy’s operation had to wait a few weeks for them to be able to save up for it. Part of them cutting corners in life, was the discovery of their vet. The man vaccinated the girls with the usual boosters, kennel cough, worms, and fleas and ticks, for a fraction of the price most vets charged. There was one catch…the vet was in Cork. As the Coopers lived in Waterford it was always turned into a day trip. That day, however, as Daisy needed to be anesthetised, they were going to be up at the crack of dawn and not arrive home until late that night.

Two weeks prior to poor Daisys surgery, I got a phone call asking me if I would mind coming down to take care of Belle. Of course, as she was my god daughter and her twin sister who she was ever so close to was going under the knife, I said yes.

I arrived down on the train from Dublin on Wednesday and was greeted not only by Fiona, but Belle and Daisy too. They were standing on the platform near the station house on their leads. When they realised it was me, my rucksack on my back and dragging a large, black canvas wheely bag behind me, they went nuts. Daisy started to howl and both of their tails were wagging like crazy. They were pulling on the leads and when I finally lugged the bag that was trailing behind me up to them, I got kisses galore.

The drive to the Coopers was only about twenty minutes, the girls safely fastened by their seatbelts to the back seat of the car. The whole journey all could hear was Daisy’s tail thumping off the seat. I felt honoured that she was that excited to see me, especially as Daisy usually hated the car.

That night I was treated like royalty. They got my favourite pizza in; Margareta with ham and extra cheese, a crate full of diet coke, and to top it all off, the cookies I loved from Lidl. I was just happy to be a Cooper for the next few nights, there was no need for the royal treatment.

As the operation was scheduled for ten the next morning, meaning both mummies and Daisy would have to leave at seven because of traffic, mummy Fiona told me she would take Belle out for a wee beforehand and that there was no need for me to get up. Naturally, I heard them getting ready and got up in solidarity to wave the clueless Daisy off.

When I closed the door, Belle under my arm, she looked at me doe eyed at the fact that she didn’t get to go in the car, but her sister did. I felt sorry for the poor chicken and gave her one of her favourite treats…a munchie roll. She took it and brought it into one of the many dog beds in the house and ate it mindfully. When she was finished, I slapped my leg and asked her if she wanted to go back to bed. She began to wander around aimlessly, obviously missing her sister.

Eventually, I heard puppy feet on the stairs and whistled when she reached the top. My door was wide open and she took a ‘baby’ (one of the teddies she loved more than others) from the basket at the top of the stairs and dragged it into the back room where I was staying. I lifted her and her baby up onto the bed where we snored until twelve o’clock when she woke me telling me she needed a wee.

Its amazing that dogs don’t need to speak to tell you what they want, they just have different facial expressions for each need. When you ask them then if that is what they are trying to say, in Belles case anyway, they bark.

I hopped out of bed and myself, Belle, and her baby bound down the stairs to put on slippers and a lead to all go out for a wee. I, personally, didn’t care what the neighbours thought of my superhero pyjama bottoms as my girl needed something and I was damned if she wasn’t going to get it on my watch.

When we came in, I asked her if she wanted breakfast and the little tyke answered by barking. I went into the press and found one of the pouches that mummies Lorraine and Fiona bought in bulk to save money. I knew that she was only supposed to get a half a one, but I was feeling sorry for her and gave her the whole thing.

After my shower, during which Belle sat on the mat grooming her baby, we got ready for a walk. Theres something you need to know about Belle; she doesn’t like her head being touched unless she is snuggling with you. She sat at the end of the stairs patiently as I untangled her red harness and Daisy’s pink harness. She was so good whilst I put the contraption over her head and she lifted each of her paws in succession before I even asked her for them.

Before we set off, I had to break the news that baby couldn’t come, something she was non perplexed over and we set off. We walked across the big green behind the houses that were opposite the Cooper household and I let her run free. Usually she would chase after Daisy or the other way around, but today, she walked beside me, looking up with sad eyes every couple of minutes. I didn’t know what to do so I started to talk to her. I told her tales of when my Rex was still alive and she seemed interested.

When the green stopped, so did Belle, waiting for me to put her lead back on. We walked farther still and ended up at the shop. I knew Belle liked ice cream and I also knew that the shop didn’t welcome four legged creatures, and I was damned if I was going to leave her outside, so I asked a complete stranger to order me two 99’s. That stranger in turn, asked the person at the till, who looked at me with a furrowed brow. I explained that I had a dog with me and she nodded and prepared the ice-cream. She handed the two cones to another person who gave them to me and yet another person took my money. I looked down at Belle and winked as I saw her lick her lips at the sight of the delicious whipped treat. Then another stranger handed me my change, the shopkeeper laughing as I thanked her and we left, lead in one hand, two ice creams in the other.

Across the road from the shop was a gated public garden. I opened the gate, careful to close it behind me and was greeted by a single bench slap bang in the middle of the carefully manicured plants and bushes. I lifted Belle up and she was smacking her lips together as she knew what was in store for her. I took the chocolate stick out of her one, putting it in mine, and held it up to her so she could eat it with ease as I ate my own.

Belle was a gentle soul and she licked the treat just as a human would do. Every so often I would rotate the cone so it wouldn’t collapse and fall to the ground. It just so happened that we finished eating them at the same time. Belle had ice cream all over her scrunched up muzzle; it was on her lips, her nose, her whiskers…basically everywhere. She kissed me on the cheek with her cold, wet tongue to say thank you and we sat on the bench watching the world go by.

It reminded me of the time I sat with Rex after a sausage sandwich overlooking the beach. She looked at me fondly, just as he did that day. I couldn’t help but smile both out of nostalgia and happiness.

After about an hour, Belle yawned and I knew she wanted to go home. We travelled home through the green space, me still talking to her, and her looking up at me every couple of minutes. When we finally opened the door to the Cooper residence, she waited patiently as I took off her harness and she picked up her baby whom I had told her couldn’t come on the walk. I looked at the clock…it was half three.

I sat down on the couch, my new best friend jumping up after me as she made a bed in my lap and we both fell asleep.

I awoke with a start, there was someone at the front door. I noticed it was dark and all the blinds were still open, no lights on. I heard someone knock on the sitting room window. Belle jumped off of my lap and started barking. I was stuck to the spot, scared as to who it might be. My phone began to ring at the same time as there was another knock at the window. I jumped, my heart in my mouth. I looked at the phone, the caller ID saying Fiona. I answered and she asked me to let her in. I had forgotten to take the keys out of the front door when I locked it after our walk.

I jumped off the two-seater recliner and opened the front door. There were the two mummies and Daisy, who strutted in, a cone on her head. I looked at the two mummies, they seemed positively exhausted.

In the corner of my eye I could see Belle investigating the still heavily drugged up Daisy. She was frightened of the cone on Daisys head at first, but when she howled out of joy in seeing her sister, Belle relaxed.

‘Was she good?’ mummy Fiona asked as mummy Lorraine took two large brown paper bags from the car. ‘She was like an angel!’ I answered as mummy Lorraine announced that they had gotten me sausages and chips from the chipper on the prom. They were greeted by a very happy Belle and as we sat down to our meal, I told them all about our day…a day I’ll never forget!