Smokey

I had a small black dog named Smokey when I was growing up. He was not a sweet dog but I loved him anyway. You may be thinking—why do you say he wasn’t sweet? I’m glad you asked. Here’s a list of reasons:

1. He bit often

2. He growled often

3. He routinely peed on my bed and on my Raggedy Ann’s FACE (the stains wouldn’t come out)

4. He peed on me on Christmas morning when I was wearing my brand new robe with bunnies on it.

5. He was always trying to escape under our fence so that he could wreak havoc in the old lady’s yard across the street. 

6. He chased cars

7. He was a liar

That last one needs some explaining. Smokey  figured out that we would let him inside (even when we’d put him out for being rotten) if he was shivering in the cold. So, he started shivering year round, even in the summer. He’d stand at the backdoor and shiver and stare at us. The liar. But it was so smart and funny, we’d let him back in. 

Here’s why I’m telling you about my rotten dog, Smokey. I learned something incredibly valuable from him. I learned that anytime I met someone who reminded me of Smokey, that person could not be trusted. For real. I’ve never met a trustworthy person who reminded me of that dog. It’s something about the look on their face— it just looks sneaky and not at all loyal. 

But I do remember this one day when Smokey got out of the fence and chased our car all the way to school. He was such a fast runner! I’ll never forget how happy I was to see him chasing right behind us. I loved that rotten, lying dog even though he bit and growled and peed on me on Christmas morning. But I never trusted him.

~Amy