Eddie the dog has a cough—a hacking cough that echoes through the house like a broken engine trying to start.
The vet says the steroids should help, and they seem to be working.
This is my first time living with a dog, and I’ll admit, I’m still not much of a pet person. It’s been a lot to get used to.
Eddie is a scrappy little mutt—a swirl of dirty white tufts, specks of brown, and plenty of demands. He’s not much to look at, but somehow, all the girls find him cute. He’s got a way of making himself known.
He hides between my feet when he’s nervous and curls up on my shoes when I’m gone. When I’m here, he wedges himself between my legs like a furry bookmark.
The girlfriend tells me it’s his way of staying close to us. “We’re his people,” she says—literally and figuratively. I think she’s right.
She would know, after all. Eddie’s her dog, an eight-year companion. And you can tell—there’s no one on earth Eddie gazes at more adoringly.
It’s strange how these little creatures find ways to burrow into your heart. Eddie might be small, but he’s got a presence. Even his cough reminds me how much I’ve come to care about this scrappy, clingy little mutt.
Get well soon, Eddie. The shoes aren’t the same without you.
What about you? Have you ever had a pet that taught you something about connection? Tell me your story at jamesbrowntv.substack.com.
On that note, I’m James Brown, and as always, be well.
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