TOMMY, THE DASHING DOG!

I liked to play tug of war with my hairy, lazy dog (Tommy) in our garden on weekends. For Tommy's welfare, I had taken upon myself his responsibility as a friend very seriously. I was happy with the task of bathing and brushing his hair on time. I was fascinated by him, so much so that I could sit and watch him all day long. He was not tied up to a tree or a garden's light pole under any circumstances. It’s more than likely that he loved to roll, jump, and bash in the grass; he enjoyed himself throughout the surroundings on the lawn with his plush toys. But of course, he had a habit of chewing my shoes when I was not keeping an eye on him; he was very naughty and didn't listen to us; he did whatever he felt like. But we still loved him. Actually, truth be told, he’s not just a pet animal. But he had become my companion, my friend, and the defender of my family. Moreover, he was like an angel to all of us because he strutted around the garden like he owned the place, and it’s quite likely that he couldn’t stand any of us intruding on his privacy. Thus, he showed a brazen disregard for people who came near the garden. Whether it was day or night, he often barked and howled when a stranger approached our house or backyard, possibly even raising hackles if the stranger didn’t halt at once. Ever since he came into our house, he never allowed intruders to trespass inside our house. *** When it rained, the ponds behind our house were overfilled with frogs, plopping and croaking in the water. And the waterlogged backyard made it impossible for anyone to walk on them. All day just sitting back and watching the rain clouds flood the garden and listening to the rumble of thunder. Tommy became bored, and he did not want to come out of the blanket as he hated the rain shower. Many a time! I tried to wake him even though he never got out of his donut bed. And I also attempted to reconcile with him hopelessly for an hour or two until I was dead tired. After a short time, I learnt that there was no other way to bring him along with me. Hence, I went back to my room and turned to look through the meshed window and into the soggy lawn. Sadly, the afternoon was half gone, and Tommy thumped, roaring, when the rain hadn’t stopped yet. He continued to fall all evening while it became a much more tedious task for him to glance at the black sky; he stifled a big yawn and stretched his legs before he went to sleep in his shed at night. (This shed was built of oak wood by my grandfather when Tommy came to our house as a cute, cuddly one-month-old puppy. I remember in those days when Grandfather used to take me and Tommy for an early morning walk in the park. I used to play, and Tommy basked in the sun, whereas Grandfather lost himself in the chit-chat with his friends. Moreover, I would like to say how I met Tommy. It all began a few years ago, when it was my grandmother’s birthday and I wanted to give her something as a gift that especially pleased her. She had a vibrant, kind, and cheerful personality. I knew she’d love surprises. So, I went to a souvenir shop to buy a gift and some cards for her. I hurried on and went to a huge shop half a mile away from my house. The shop offered a wide range of souvenirs and other romantic items relating to young and old lovebirds. When I went to the brightest end of the shop, I tried my hardest to see more clearly through the semi-darkened glass display cabinets containing the most expensive souvenirs for the shop's customers. While I was submerged in deep thought! What to take? Suddenly, I was startled by a pounding noise from over there, coming from the wooden desk. It seemed there was something under the desk. So, I slightly bent my legs and sat down on the floor, and started looking in a curious manner at the dark corner of the desk. Oh, no! My goodness! I found a crying puppy who was more afraid than happy that someone had caught his sign in an unpredictable way. No wonder that it was an adorable pet at first sight. So, he is handsome and exceptionally white, like a snowball. He had green eyes and tiny hedgehog paws with a tiny black tail. Somehow, I tried to touch him, but he turned and looked at me, and he swung as fast as he could and went like a bullet under the wooden desk. After so many tries, I did not understand why I was always rejected every time I raised my hand to catch hold of him. At the end, I stopped doing this, and miraculously, the puppy came near me with unsteady steps as I spread my hands to lift him. But he ducked his head again and fell backwards on the ground. And he bounced, ran, and hid under the deck again. (Both of us knew that this game was going to be quite harder than usual as it had been a matter of love and affection.) While I was looking for the puppy once more, I was tapped on my shoulder by someone.