SUMMER WALK
By
Anise Cassell
Summer time to get out to enjoy long walks. Walks in the cool evening is rewarding. Three dogs joined Mom on her walks. Apollo loved to run in the fields of tall grass and wide-open spaces. There was nothing a collie like more to stretch ones long legs in free spirited play with his two best friends.
Cocoa the dash hound grew up with the family’s three children. She was shared much of their lives. Cocoa didn’t like pups. After ten years she was happy the children were grown. She had only mom and dad to deal with. That was enough.
Hootie the rat terrier is Apollo’s best friend. The pup had taken to her the moment he arrived. Mom took the dogs for walks in the evening after work was done. Some days the walks took them far from home. They walked off the road where the fields stretched for miles.
Hootie’s short legs took her far in seconds. The only one to catch her was Apollo. His long legs caught her in short leaps. His favorite game is pounce and nip. When Apollo caught Hootie he nipped her on the head. Hootie would growl nip back to find he ran off.
He would return to do it again. Hootie didn’t like his game. Let him know it. That didn’t stop Apollo. He pressed the game as long as he could. Cocoa let them know right off she would not put up with this non-sense. She earned her place in this family.
Cocoa went her own way. Short legs made hunting new smells enjoyable. Her keen sense well suited to hunting. Searching new smells is her favorite part of walks. Cocoa found a new smell. Zeroed in digging to uncover the hidden treasure. Once started there’s no stopping until the source was sniffed out.
Tonight Mom watched the sunset of the summer solstice. The birds bedded down songs fading. Cocoa’s furious digging aroused Apollo’s interest. Catching a whiff of the prize joined in. He didn’t intrude on her dig. Her nips made him back off. He would wait to sneak back then jump on the prize to snatch it up fast. Then challenge them to take it from him. They could not.
The sunset fades from orange to red cast a long shadow behind the hill. Mom started walking home. Hootie joined in the hunt for the prize. Mom called. The search was intense. Digging furiously for the prize.
A mother field mouse jumped out with her last baby disappeared into the tall stalks her escape with child certain. The dirt pile gave the mother field mouse the perfect escape route the dogs could not pursue. Apollo's disappointment didn’t stay with him long. The memory of the hunt would remain with the collie for some time.
