(If you remember... you last left your hero (that's ME!) flying down the interstate in the Dear ol' Dad mobile with my human brother Joey... on our way to pick up the new dog for our family, who had just been rescued from certain death at the hands of the Humane Society. Also, I had eaten a bunch of junk food and snacks on the 7 hour road trip to the pickup location and had just evacuated my bowels on a grassy patch next to a gas station parking lot somewhere in western Tennessee. This required much cleaning of my backside... now back to our story...)
The recent "poopisode" has left me not feeling my freshest, or best, Dad indicated I had a greenish tint as I lounged directly in the air conditioning, riding on the passenger’s seat. Dad had called Ginny Holder and expressed his embarrassment and apology for being delayed. We flew down the interstate with Dad looking at the clock, then the road, then the clock... and so on. I could tell he was VERY excited about meeting the new dog. Me... not so much. My stomach felt like the aftermath of a two hour rollercoaster ride following an all-you-can-eat-taco party.
As we exited the interstate, Dad could see the Cracker Barrel where we had agreed to meet Ginny. Funny thing about it... you had to drive up a road, to a road, to an entrance, to another entrance and then into the parking lot. It took us almost as long to get to the pickup point as it did to drive down to Memphis!! As we pulled in, Dad said to Joey with GREAT excitement "THERE HE IS"!!
We pulled into a parking place and the car cleared out... except for me. I stayed laying on the seat, recovering from my ordeal earlier where everything I had ever eaten came flowing out of my body. I watched from my seat as Dad approached my new brother. Dad shook hands with Ginny and talked to her for a moment. He spoke to the other dog and bent down to pet him. I didn't like the way things were going, already. After all... I was CHIN #1 and this guy looked like he was trouble.
Dad came back to the car "Thank God" I thought to myself, "he's come to his senses and we're just going to go back home". Much to my surprise, he picked me up and whispered in my ear "Come meet your new brother. I expect you to be nice to him. He's went through a lot and needs your love and support". Ummm.... NO! Dad sat me down on the ground next to this THING. He smelled like the inside of a skunks unwashed butt and had a look on his face that screamed "DUH!!!". Then, he did the worst thing that a new dog trying to make friends with me could do... he pointed out to everyone that my butt was a bit dirty from the earlier bowel issues. WHAT A JERK!!!
Ginny and Dad spoke for a few more minutes, then Dad loaded dog #2 and I in the car. Joey jumped in back with the new dog and I sat back in the passenger seat. From there, we were headed back the 7 hours to home. During the ride back, Dad thought a lot about a good name for the new family pet. He considered where he had come from, what he had been through and the adventure he had undergone in the past 10 days. Sawyer was a choice for "Tom Sawyer"... but Dad soured on the name because not enough stuff could be rhymed with Sawyer. Then he thought of Huckleberry Finn, the boy adventurer from Mark Twain’s books. As he looked at this hillbilly hound, he confirmed the name but didn't want to stand in the yard and yell the very unmanly "COME HERE, HUCKLEBERRY"... so he decided to use the initial H. and lengthen the "Finn" to Finnegan to give him a touch of class. Although, in my opinion, that was like putting polish on a turd... Finn didn't sound like Sophie or May, so I knew nobody would confuse us.
7 hours of in a car with Sir Drool A-Lot was more than enough for me!! After our long drive home, in which Finn actually sat took over my place... riding on Dad's lap and looking out the window and ate some snacks and licked MY Dad's ear and face... he came bursting into our home to less than fantastic reviews. He had a knock down drag out fight with Loki within 24 hours of meeting him... he humped the Bitty.. he humped ME!... he pee'd on everything in the house, I figured that he was on his way out FOR SURE. But instead, I saw an incredible thing happen.... for as many bad things he did, he became closer and closer to Dad. He would follow Dad, lay next to Dad, cry for Dad when he left. There was a bond growing between the two of them that I was not comfortable seeing happen. Dad defended Finn, held him, comforted him, tried to teach him, even took him on a hiking adventure. He called him "My #2 Chin" and "My New Walkin' Dog". I felt like the universe was off tilter and I had just lost the last 5 years of my life.
Bitty, Loki and I had our own opinion of this NEW DOG... and the vote was "HE SUCKS". We started to brainstorm on how to get rid of this hillbilly nightmare. Would we leave the door open, would we sell him to a band of traveling gypsy's, would we lock him in the Chin Cave, would we all poop in one pile on Mom's favorite blanket and find a way to blame it on Finn?? All I knew is that HE HAD TO GO!!! He had wore out his welcome within 24 hours of his arrival... and HE WAS TOUCHING MY DAD. Dad was even making Chin Dinner for both of us... UNHEARD OF!!
However... there was a storm brewing just below the surface that would rock our family and nearly kill H. Finnegan Chin.
The Final Chapter of the Finn Story, Tomorrow...
The recent "poopisode" has left me not feeling my freshest, or best, Dad indicated I had a greenish tint as I lounged directly in the air conditioning, riding on the passenger’s seat. Dad had called Ginny Holder and expressed his embarrassment and apology for being delayed. We flew down the interstate with Dad looking at the clock, then the road, then the clock... and so on. I could tell he was VERY excited about meeting the new dog. Me... not so much. My stomach felt like the aftermath of a two hour rollercoaster ride following an all-you-can-eat-taco party.
As we exited the interstate, Dad could see the Cracker Barrel where we had agreed to meet Ginny. Funny thing about it... you had to drive up a road, to a road, to an entrance, to another entrance and then into the parking lot. It took us almost as long to get to the pickup point as it did to drive down to Memphis!! As we pulled in, Dad said to Joey with GREAT excitement "THERE HE IS"!!
We pulled into a parking place and the car cleared out... except for me. I stayed laying on the seat, recovering from my ordeal earlier where everything I had ever eaten came flowing out of my body. I watched from my seat as Dad approached my new brother. Dad shook hands with Ginny and talked to her for a moment. He spoke to the other dog and bent down to pet him. I didn't like the way things were going, already. After all... I was CHIN #1 and this guy looked like he was trouble.
Dad came back to the car "Thank God" I thought to myself, "he's come to his senses and we're just going to go back home". Much to my surprise, he picked me up and whispered in my ear "Come meet your new brother. I expect you to be nice to him. He's went through a lot and needs your love and support". Ummm.... NO! Dad sat me down on the ground next to this THING. He smelled like the inside of a skunks unwashed butt and had a look on his face that screamed "DUH!!!". Then, he did the worst thing that a new dog trying to make friends with me could do... he pointed out to everyone that my butt was a bit dirty from the earlier bowel issues. WHAT A JERK!!!
Ginny and Dad spoke for a few more minutes, then Dad loaded dog #2 and I in the car. Joey jumped in back with the new dog and I sat back in the passenger seat. From there, we were headed back the 7 hours to home. During the ride back, Dad thought a lot about a good name for the new family pet. He considered where he had come from, what he had been through and the adventure he had undergone in the past 10 days. Sawyer was a choice for "Tom Sawyer"... but Dad soured on the name because not enough stuff could be rhymed with Sawyer. Then he thought of Huckleberry Finn, the boy adventurer from Mark Twain’s books. As he looked at this hillbilly hound, he confirmed the name but didn't want to stand in the yard and yell the very unmanly "COME HERE, HUCKLEBERRY"... so he decided to use the initial H. and lengthen the "Finn" to Finnegan to give him a touch of class. Although, in my opinion, that was like putting polish on a turd... Finn didn't sound like Sophie or May, so I knew nobody would confuse us.
7 hours of in a car with Sir Drool A-Lot was more than enough for me!! After our long drive home, in which Finn actually sat took over my place... riding on Dad's lap and looking out the window and ate some snacks and licked MY Dad's ear and face... he came bursting into our home to less than fantastic reviews. He had a knock down drag out fight with Loki within 24 hours of meeting him... he humped the Bitty.. he humped ME!... he pee'd on everything in the house, I figured that he was on his way out FOR SURE. But instead, I saw an incredible thing happen.... for as many bad things he did, he became closer and closer to Dad. He would follow Dad, lay next to Dad, cry for Dad when he left. There was a bond growing between the two of them that I was not comfortable seeing happen. Dad defended Finn, held him, comforted him, tried to teach him, even took him on a hiking adventure. He called him "My #2 Chin" and "My New Walkin' Dog". I felt like the universe was off tilter and I had just lost the last 5 years of my life.
Bitty, Loki and I had our own opinion of this NEW DOG... and the vote was "HE SUCKS". We started to brainstorm on how to get rid of this hillbilly nightmare. Would we leave the door open, would we sell him to a band of traveling gypsy's, would we lock him in the Chin Cave, would we all poop in one pile on Mom's favorite blanket and find a way to blame it on Finn?? All I knew is that HE HAD TO GO!!! He had wore out his welcome within 24 hours of his arrival... and HE WAS TOUCHING MY DAD. Dad was even making Chin Dinner for both of us... UNHEARD OF!!
However... there was a storm brewing just below the surface that would rock our family and nearly kill H. Finnegan Chin.
The Final Chapter of the Finn Story, Tomorrow...