Thursday, May 12, 2016

The grand adventures of Freckles the Dog

Once upon a time, there was a sweet dog with white fur, brown spots and freckles on his nose. His name, not surprisingly, was Freckles.

Poor Freckles the Dog was lonely. He was lost and didn't have a family. He lived on his own and walked around outside all day without anyone to love him or take care of him. He saw other dogs in houses or on leashes. He wanted to be one of those dogs. It made him so sad.

One day, a nice woman found him. She saw through his matted fur and his scared demeanor. She knew he was a good dog. So, she took him off the street and took him to a big farm in the country. There, the woman and her husband fed him and gave him a bath. This woman did this for many dogs. The farm was full of dogs to run around with and play with. But, Freckles was still lonely.

See, what Freckles wanted more than anything was a family all his own to love.

Now, Freckles didn't know this, but somewhere out there, there was a family with a mom, a dad, and two little girls who very much wanted a dog of their own. The mom heard about this special farm with lots of dogs who needed homes. She just knew that they would find their special dog at this place. So, she convinced everyone in the family to drive for an hour to reach this farm.

When they pulled into the long driveway, the mom immediately spied a very special dog. He was white with brown spots and black freckles on his nose. The lady who worked at the farm said his name was Freckles and that he was an extraordinary dog.

"What Freckles wants is a home of his very own," she explained.

The mom and the dad and the two girls got down on the ground and petted Freckles. He promptly snuggled into the loving hands. Freckles looked in the eyes of these people. He knew. This was his family.
Meeting the family for the first time.

The family thought so, too.

They took Freckles home with him that night.

First family picture.

At first, it was a bit of a transition. Freckles had always wanted a family of his own, but he didn't really know how to live in a house with a family. The family had to teach Freckles about going to the bathroom outside. Not in the dining room. Freckles really didn't like staying in a crate, so he found ways out every time the family tried to put him in. The family could never figure out how he managed to escape, and Freckles never told his secrets. The family also learned that Freckles was an amazing jumper. He could jump from four feet on the floor to the top of the counter. Especially if there were pizza or hot dogs on the counter.

Both Freckles and the family had to learn how to live together. But, soon, nobody could imagine it any other way. The girls liked to play games with him. And, they even liked to sleep beside him.

Freckles never quite got the hang of twister.

He did like company while he slept. Especially if it was thundering outside.

Most days, while the dad went to work and the kids went to school, the mom stayed at the house. So, the mom and Freckles became best friends. She even took Freckles on long runs. Oh, did Freckles love those runs. He would smile and trot and chase bunnies the whole time. You've never seen a happier dog than Freckles during a run. Even when the mom made him go a really long way, he still was happy. Though, when he made it home, he would often collapse on the kitchen floor and rest for quite a while.

Freckles was so happy when he got to go for a run with his mom.

Freckles would give the mom a guilt trip if she wanted to skip a run.

Sometimes, even the older girl would take him for a run.



Every school day, the mom walked Freckles down to the school to pick up the two girls. The youngest girl went to half day, so they picked her up at lunchtime. Every time they turned the corner at the front of the school, all the children in the girl's class started chanting, "Freckles! Freckles is here!" He became the class mascot. He simply sat quietly as all the kids petted his head. The mom could swear she saw him smiling, even though people say that dogs can't smile.

Freckles loved picking up the younger girl from kindergarten.
When he wasn't on walks to school or runs with his mom, Freckles claimed the chair by the front window. He loved watching the world go by on the street in front of him. If you ever drove by the house, you could often find him sitting in front of the window checking out everything. It was his happy place.

And, Freckles was such a happy dog now. He had the family he'd always wanted. He was fed. He was taken care of. His family took him on walks and runs and gave him as many pets as he could take. He was no longer lonely.


So, one beautiful spring day, the mom was enjoying the weather with the windows open. She could feel the breeze as she worked in her office. Freckles was enjoying the breeze as well. He was watching the world go by out the window as he usually did. He saw many walkers, bike riders and cars go up and down the street. It was a wonderful afternoon.

But, when 3:40 rolled around, the mom had to go to school. And, today, she had to walk into school because she was taking the younger girl to a Girl Scout meeting. Unfortunately, dogs aren't allowed into school buildings. Which meant that Freckles had to stay home.

Freckles didn't like being left at home. He didn't like when the mom and girl left him and went on a walk without him. Freckles was sad as they walked out the door. He was sad as they walked away from the house without him. He started crying. The mom and daughter heard him crying and felt terrible, but there was nothing they could do. The school simply wouldn't let him come in the building.

So, despite feeling awful, the mom and daughter kept walking to school. The mom knew she'd be back soon and could make Freckles feel better with lots of petting. The mom and girl started talking about her meeting. She was very excited about going to Girl Scouts.

The mom and girl walked all the way down the street to the school. When, all of a sudden, they heard a commotion. Kids were yelling and the mom swore she heard the name "Freckles." The mom looked up and turned back toward the direction of their house.

You'll never guess what the mom saw.

Freckles the Dog was running toward them, smiling and trotting and grinning. He had jumped right out of that open window and came down to find his family at school.

The mom couldn't believe it. She couldn't even really be mad at him, because he hadn't run away. He knew exactly where they were going, and he just couldn't stand being left behind. So, he had jumped out of the window and headed right to the school.

The mom and girl just started laughing. Oh, Freckles the Dog. The found the older girl and they laughed. Freckles really was an extraordinary dog. And, he was their extraordinary dog. He had found his family, and he was not about to let it get away.

Freckles with his open window in the background.

But, one thing did come from Freckles the Dog's grand adventure to school that day. From then on, if the family ever left the house, the mom learned not to leave any windows open. No one was taking any more chances with Freckles the Dog.

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