THE WELCOME

    I hear it! I hear the car! HER car! And she's coming this way!
    Oh, oh, I must run in and grab a gift! I must greet her with a gift!
    Oh, 'BONK' missed the step. No matter, I must hurry.
Move over, doggy door! She's coming, she's coming!
    Gift, gift, where, what, oh, oh, oh, ah! A plastic bottle she drinks
from, right here on top of the container they call trash! Oh, perfect.
    She's coming, she's coming! Oh, oh, oh... The door!
I hear the door sound that sounds right before she comes in!

Oh, it's OPENING! SHE'S HOME!
    Oh, oh, 'wiggle, wiggle, wiggle' I cannot be still! You're home! And
look, look, I have this nice bottle! Oh, oh, you're home! YOU'RE HOME!
    I have missed you so much, you've been gone hours, weeks, days,
years! And so much has happened! A dog ran by and I chewed a tree and Pluto
slept under the house and it rained a little!
    Oh, oh, oh! You're home, you're home!
    And you're touching me! I can't stand it, it's so marvelous! Oh, and
you're speaking! "Murble, murble, good boy, murble, murble."
    YES! Your happy voice. Oh, I'm about to burst! I'm so happy, happy,
happy! Yes! I want to jump! I'm not supposed to jump, but oh, oh, just a
little jump!
    "Off."

    Darn. Oh, I cannot be still.
    I'll roll over and wiggle on my back! Oh, yes! She's rubbing me-my
tummy, my head, my sides! Oh, oh,oh.
    Now what? Now where's she going? Oh, oh, yes! Back to the room where
we sleep at night! Great! It has the big pad we sleep on and 'L-E-A-P' I can
get up here close to her.

    And here she comes!
    Oh, oh, oh! I can stand on my legs and put my paws around her neck
and-uh oh. Can't lick with this bottle in my mouth. But it's my present to
her! Oh, oh, what to do? And she's rubbing me! But I want to lick her, oh,
oh, I think I'm about to burst!
    "Off."

    Oh, darn. Drop the bottle. Oh, YES! She's coming back!
    She took off the pieces she puts on her eyes, and I can stand and
'lick, lick' I love you, I love you, I love you, I love 'lick, lick, lick'
you taste so good, salty, sweet, I love that stuff you smear on your face
every day, I love to lick it off, oh, oh, and you're rubbing me again!
    My back, my head, my ears, oh, oh 'lick, lick, lick'. "Murble,
murble, Mickee, good boy, murble, murble."
    "Off."

Darn.
    I will lay here and watch her. Watch her peel her fur-it's-not. It
is very warm. I don't know because I don't think. How does she do that?
    And I will get that look on my face that always makes her come and
rub me. The look where I roll my eyes up, and keep my head flat here and she
will come...and she's putting on her play skin! YES! We will play-sometime.
My tail cannot be still. I am SO happy, happy, happy.
    Now she's going in the room with the wonderful water bowl! I LOVE
that water bowl - always cool, clean water! She'll be out in just a minute,
just a minute, just a.....yes, she's coming! She's here again.
    Oh, oh, oh....
    Now back to the room with the box that has pictures and sounds. Ah,
I know what happens now. Yep, she's laying down on the big pad there. Now
she'll sleep. But that's okay.

    She's HOME!
    SHE'S home.
    She's home.

    And she smells tired. So I will lay beside her here and guard her
and wait while she sleeps. And when she wakes up she won't smell so tired.
And we'll play and play.
    S-i-g-h. I'll just rest with her now, and smell her while she
sleeps.

    And wait again. For, the next thing that happens, HE'LL be home.
    And then, oh, oh, zzzzzzzzz........