Rieley arrives
Liquid Duty
Dear Sasha,
This time I will just describe the house. I know you are really interested.
We have a driveway now and a garage. There used to be a cat in there but it is long gone. There is a large area of grass in front of the house where I can only go with my leash on. You remember at home the house sat in the middle of a fenced area and I could go anywhere I wanted. There is a fenced area behind the house and I am grateful it is six times as big as the first house we lived in here.
There is no yapping neighbour! In fact there are no dogs behind any of the fences. The house is on a corner with three stop signs. Neither of the streets is very busy.
There are dogs in the neighbourhood. The front lawn is lined with scent markers. A female who eats a lot of carrots and a tiny male are the most frequent visitors. I gave them something to sniff about! I’ll be watching from the large front window and give them something to listen to too.
There are lots of trees — all duly claimed — and places without grass where green things are coming out of the ground. I’m learning to stay out of these but I pace along the fence through the back of one. There are dried leaves with mouse tracks through there.
The garage leads to a front porch and the front door. Inside, the first thing you see is a place where everyone leaves their shoes and boots. There is a closet where they keep coats, leashes and plastic bags. I can’t wait to walk around the neighbourhood and start claiming territory of my own.
There are stairs to the right of the door. I’m not allowed up there. The father made that clear from the start. It was pretty humiliating. That’s all I’ll say about that.
Straight ahead is the kitchen. Fabulous odours preceded us. The people who lived here before us were good cooks. My food bowl lives at the end of the only piece of furniture in the kitchen — the table. My plastic tub of kibble lives in a large cupboard beside the fridge.
To the left there is a carpeted area in an L shape. The carpet has been washed lately and reeks of chemicals. I can still detect the cat, though, and I’m really happy it is gone. Not that I couldn’t tolerate a cat if I had to. They can be taught to respect their superiors.
At the back of the house there is a sunken area with a fire place. Hot air blasts out of holes in the floor, but a fire inside the house seems a bit crazy to me. Humans will do anything to be warm, poor hairless creatures.
The floor and windows are pretty bare right now. Not much furniture has arrived. Everyday the father brings something new home. As long as it is inside I know not to mark it. Yes, I am taking in extra liquids to succeed in my duty.
Oh Sasha, I better go. All this talk about liquids.
Until next time,
love Reiley.
Dear Reiley,
I am happy to say the mail delivery is just as good from your new home. Thank you for the detailed description. I can almost see you, though I struggle to imagine bare patches of ground.
It would be nice to have a neighbour dog if they were friendly. I wasn’t worried about the yappy “fence-defence” because I expected it would not be your permanent, sorry, mostly permanent home.
You didn’t mention Parsley. Is your new home far away from the park where you met her?
I don’t know if I told you, but I live with a cat. Did you ever smell her on me? She is very old. She has been here longer than me, which is hard to believe. We don’t get in each others way.
All the best in your new home!
Until next time,
love Sasha
