(Mark Twain once said: "Courage is not the absence of fear, it is acting in spite of it!") ...
When you are at a wedding, fear is not an emotion you expect one to experience. However,
when your name is Jethro, and you have a fear of commitment and find yourself standing next to
Tony the best man, with eyes wandering from the beautiful bride to the gorgeous redhead beside Abby, the maid of honor, you kind of have reason to be!
It all started just over a year ago as I was taking my human Tim out for a walk. (I have worked hard
to get and keep him in shape!) On that run we were shocked to encounter, as we turned a
corner to walk through the park, a mother screaming: "HELP, he has got my baby!" We looked
over to where she was pointing and saw that 'son of a cat' (please pardon my language) streaking
across the street with a crying child in his arms. My human and I immediately began the chase with
him shouting out: "Stop, Federal Agent here!" That S.O.C, realizing he was cornered, dropped the
young pup the middle of the road with an oncoming car fast approaching. Whilst I raced ahead
to help a nearby policeman chase the abductor, my human Tim sped to the young pup in obvious
danger...We then heard screeching of brakes and a loud thud. Fortunately my hero human was able
to push the pup of danger's way, but unfortunately he was hit in the process.
At the hospital,it was a relief to know that despite multiple bruising, a fractured shoulder and an
injured kneecap he avoided spinal damage. The team arrived at the hospital and it was at that point,
the human Tony took me out to finish my walk. I love going for walks with him. There are some
mighty fine ladies here in Silver Springs and he makes a good wing man...
That was the night I first saw HER! The most beautiful red Irish Setter and her blond headed owner
jogged passed us. 'Be still my beating heart! I turned around with hope of dragging the human Tony
after them but alas they had disappeared from sight...DANG!
Humans have a saying: "Dogs have Masters, cats have slaves". Because of this they do not think us
dogs are smart, but really we are! We are just more subtle about it. Like how I knew my human had
thing for the rather fetching human Ziva...the subtle glances I have seen My Human send her way when
she thinks he is not looking, oblivious to the fact that she has been doing the same!
A month after my Human got hit by the car, he was slowly showing signs of improvement, but his pack of
humans were still visiting. The human Ducky came by to check on his patient, telling us wonderful stories
about how this reminds him of the time... until my name sake, the human Jethro (subtlety NOT) changes
the subject back to how my human is going. The human Abby pops in on her way to go bowling with the
nuns. As for my wing man, the human called Tony, well, he pops in every day to take me on a "walk"...okay,
okay, I admit it, we keep going back to the park, hoping to run into the red setter that stole my breath away
and her human, the blonde, who caught my wing mans eye.
Oh what about the pretty female human called Ziva, you asked? She was coming every night, mostly after
my "walk". She would insist on cooking dinner and would just watch a movie, talk or sometimes read books,
just chilling and enjoying each others company as friends, neither catching the looks of longing that the other
sends their way when their backs are turned.
Then one day, things took a change for the better. We ran into the red setter and her human and for the first
time in my life I was lost for "words"! Listening to their conversation, I soon learned that the blondes name was
Kelly and was not at all surprised that plans were made to meet up for a drink later that night. It was a rather
hasty walk home.
Back at the apartment I share with my human; the lovely Ziva, was in the kitchen at the stove, when my human,
Tim, reaching past her to get a taste of what she was cooking, gently caressed the side of her face as he did so.
Whether on impulse, or desire, the human Ziva turns off the stove and faces my human Tim. As he starts to
apologise, I shake my head and cross my paws, thinking, here's your chance now, don't woof it up! As their lips met
in a passionate embrace, rule 12 went flying out the window...what happened next, well I am too much of a gentleman to discuss the "finer" details.
That incidence was the start of what lead us to this day where my human was about to marry my new lady human Ziva...
Back to what I said in the beginning about fear...
I fear commitment
I fear getting hurt again
Even though I love Red and it looks like my wing man Tony is getting serious with Reds human Kelly, I still have my doubts.
I look over at my love, my Red, my Shannon at the preacher's words: "Do you take this woman to have and to hold from
this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"
I take one last look at my Shannon and can't help but give my own reply:
"WOOF!"
The end