MY NAME IS GRUMP

Hello. My name is Grump. I’m a pit-bull terrier, now 7 years old, spotted brown and white. Quite handsome, if I do say so myself!

I met my human when I was just a little guy. I was tussling with my brothers and my one little sister and suddenly there it was – this new smell. I wandered over to get a better fix on things and she bent down and Whoa!! My feet were off the ground and there was a nose nuzzling on my neck; not a wet nose like my siblings but it was kinda the same, so I joined the play and growled and grabbed what I guessed was an ear...there was no hair on it...and I heard a soft cry, then a sound like gurgling (it’s called a laugh – something my human does often and I later learned it means she is happy) and then her human voice saying ‘You little Grumpy! You’re coming home with me!”

We spent a few minutes with my mother, petting her and saying goodbye, then this human put me into a crate and there was a noise (a truck – I love going in it now!) and I was a very frightened because my brothers were left behind. There was a new house where I introduced to an old grandpa – Ben – and I met the cool dude whose name was Bud. The old fella ignored me for the most part – didn’t want to play at all – but Bud was an immediate big bro, showing me the ropes and how to tussle real hard.

Over time the old grandpa seemed to have no energy at all, and my human appeared very sad, and Ben disappeared, then there was only me and my best bro, Bud.

What years we had!! Running and smelling and lots of cuddling and dancing with our human. It was such good fun until one day Bud told me he was too tired to play. I kept going back to see if he had changed his mind, but no; he stayed very quiet and my human looked very worried, then she took Bud with her in the truck, leaving me behind. They were gone for some time, so I was real happy to greet them when they came back.

There was something wrong – my human was sad again, and Bud tried to make the best of it, but somehow I knew he wouldn’t be running around with me anymore. I lay beside him for a few days, but he wasn’t eating, so I didn’t feel like it either. It got so that he whimpered every time he moved – he was in pain – and one day a strange truck drove into our yard and my human made me stay inside but carried Bud downstairs and I barked and barked, calling Bud to come back, but my human came in alone and this time she was so sad her eyes were leaking and the noises she was making distressed me terribly. I tried to comfort her, cuddled close beside her on our couch for three days while these noises would start and stop. Finally she started to move around again, and I began to look for Bud everywhere. I found his scent at the bottom of our hill, right beside the big rock he liked, but I couldn’t see him, so I sat there and waited for awhile, and my human came down and said ‘No more Bud’ and I knew “no more’ meant it was over.

It took me a long time to stop missing Bud, but the upside was that my human took me everywhere with her. We went for long walks every night and drove around visiting her friends and some of them had dogs too. We got closer and closer and I learned to read her thoughts and gestures really well; we are best friends.

Then one day another young runt entered the picture. He was a real pain at first, and I found my human was paying way too much attention to him. He grew on me after awhile, at least once he realized I was the boss even if he did eventually stand taller. I showed him the ropes like Bud had with me, and this Smooch became a good companion. Then Smooch started to tire easily or refuse to play at all. Once again my human showed worry. Suddenly she and Smooch were leaving together in the truck and each time they returned my human was sadder and sadder.

When he finally couldn’t play at all anymore, I sensed what was coming – he was going to disappear too. I lay beside him, trying to keep it from happening, but it didn’t work. One night they left together and when my human came back she spent some time outside with that neighbor who was there with his backhoe. They were down by the big rock where I had waited so long for Bud. When my human came into the house she was alone, and there was the two of us cuddling on the couch, and her eyes were leaking and she was making that noise.

We began roaming around in the truck, my human and me. She takes me everywhere but to her ‘work’. When she says that word, I know there is going to be some long sleeping time! Lately I haven’t minded so much – I seem to be tired more often and my stomach hasn’t felt so good. I know I’m not supposed to do it in the house, but a few days back I just couldn’t hold it in while she was gone – everything came out of me like water. I was expecting a scolding when she got home and saw what I had done, but she seemed more frightened than angry; a good thing too, because it kept happening and my stomach seems to be getting worse.

Anyway, a couple of days ago we went for a long drive and she led me into a big house and there were dogs and cats and even a huge bird sitting around. I remembered this place; we had come here after my fight with a neighbor’s mutts! We followed another human into a little room, and I was prodded and checked and then came the rubber glove...UGH...and I heard the other human say ‘blood’, then a word that sounded familiar somehow...’cancer’...and suddenly my human was beside me on the floor, burying her face in my fur, and I sensed fear and pain and more sadness...and I was going to bite the other human who had to be causing this, but realized the same vibes were coming from her too, so I was confused. I turned to lick my human’s eyes because they were leaking again, and she hugged me hard, and finally we got out of that place that was upsetting her so much.

She has been trying to sneak bad tasting, round things into my food, but I’ll have none of that! One can only ask so much of a best friend, after all. I’m not hungry in any case, although I do sneak some of the cat’s food just because....

We’ve been going outside more, no leash, and we throw some squeaky balls, but after one or two races up the hill my stomach hurts too much to continue. My human is very sad when this happens; even if she tries not to show it, I can tell. Her eyes leak and my bum leaks. What a pair we are!

I think I’ll go bug the cat – that usually works – when my human watches us play it makes her SMILE.
Luv from the Bush in Quebec.