Thanks so much to all our REALMcRollers and to everyone who entered our contest to name Steve & Catherine's dog!
We received a lot of terrific entries and it was a hard choice. Two people actually submitted the same winning name! We ran it by our own dogs and they heartily approve.
Thanks, as always, for the love and support! We are here. Steve & Catherine are safe with us and always will be.
Sammy & Ilna, ladies, thanks for making this the best experience! And Ilna thanks for the 'name exchange' lines.
Hugs to all from Jersey!
Mari
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And now I happily present …
Puppy Love
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McGarrett/Rollins residence
Saturday 9:00 a.m.
The dog bounded up to greet Danny as he walked onto the beach. She'd been playing catch with Steve by the tide line and when she caught Danny's presence on the lanai, she came to investigate who Catherine was talking to.
"Hey, girl!" Danny slapped his leg and as the dog approached, bent to ruffle her fur. "So how does Steve like having another animal in the house?" He chuckled at his own joke and stood to see Catherine roll her eyes. "She's a nice dog, Cath."
Catherine smiled. "She's really smart, too. She comes when we call her; she knows 'sit' and 'wait' pretty reliably, and I've started teaching her 'stay'." Catherine placed a kiss on the dog's head. "I checked and some of the shelter volunteers did a little basic obedience with her before those creeps adopted her. She remembered it right away."
"So, what's her name?" Danny asked as he scratched the dog behind her ears. He was rewarded with a paw to shake.
"We haven't named her …" a silent 'yet' hung in the air just as Steve walked up from the water's edge.
"You didn't name your dog?" Danny tossed at his best friend.
"Some people just say 'hello', Danny."
Danny shook his head. "It's been three days, Steven. Name the freaking dog already. For God's sake, she's yours. Or you're hers. Look at her." He nodded to the dog who was gazing between Steve and Catherine adoringly. "Cath told me how smart she is, in spite of the fact that she seems to have adopted … you."
"Shut up, Danny." Steve snarked, but when he said, "Inside" and pointed, and the dog happily trotted off the lanai, into the house in front of them he looked at Catherine proudly. "Catherine's right she's really smart."
"Well, Grace is beside herself, she can't wait to come see her. She made me stop at PetCo on our way home last night." Danny handed Catherine a bag once they were inside. "Here's a toy she sent for her new 'cousin'." He grinned. "If she wasn't at the overnight fundraiser with the Aloha Girls she'd have made me drive her here at the crack of dawn to deliver it in person."
"Aww. I know. She called us last night to say you were 'delivering' a present. I'll thank her tomorrow; she told me they were only allowed to use their phones for emergencies on the sleepover." Catherine turned to Steve. "Isn't this cute? There's a card, too." She handed the stuffed goose squeaky toy to the dog who happily began tossing it into the air and wrestling with it. Catherine read the card Grace had made on her computer. It had a photo of her, Danny her dog, Scout and Mr. Hoppy and it said, "Welcome to the Family!" on it.
"Okay, I have to run. I'll see you tonight for dinner." He turned to Catherine "Six okay?"
"Six is fine. Kamekona's dropping off dinner on his way home. He owes me one for checking out his niece's new boyfriend and giving him a heads up." Catherine smiled, knowing Danny would appreciate the overprotective uncle in Kamekona. Danny's grin told her she was right.
/
1:00 p.m.
Steve and Cath had a rare day off with no actual plans. None. Catherine insisted they should spend the day at home so the dog would feel like she wasn't left alone all day in a new place. They'd walked her around the neighborhood; swum, tossed a ball with her and Catherine had rinsed the saltwater out of her fur in their shower, again.
Once dry, the dog had meandered into the bedroom and dozed in a sunny spot, occasionally twitching her ears at the sounds the humans began making after Steve offered help Catherine 'clean up' after rinsing the dog and their laughter turned into whispers and then moans.
"Oh, no. Nope." Steve stopped so abruptly when entering the bedroom from the bathroom that Catherine walked right into his back.
"Steve!"
"Sorry." He turned and slid an arm around her, "I'm sorry, Cath, but no way." He pointed to where the 85 pound puppy was sprawled on their bed. Her head on Steve's pillow, she was snoring away.
Catherine laughed out loud.
"Not funny, tell her to get down."
"Why me?"
"Because …"
"Oh my God, you don't wanna be the bad cop?" Catherine laughed harder at the irony in that.
Steve muttered "Not true …" and said "C'mon, doggy, off!" And the dog blinked at him.
"C'mon, off!" He repeated, pointed to the ground, and looked very pleased with himself when the dog stood and vacated the bed for the camping mattress she'd spent the previous few nights on. She promptly went back to sleep. "See? Didn't need a bad cop."
Catherine laughed harder.
"What?" He looked indignant.
"You." She reached up to kiss him. "And by the way, it's hard to pull off that indignant face when you're reasoning with a dog." She smirked. "While naked." She patted him on the butt and dodged his reach when he made a grab for her.
"How about if I reason with you, instead?" He growled, but his huge smile gave him away. He darted toward Catherine and scooped her off the floor, her protest lost in her peals of laughter.
The dog yawned and stretched, turning over to resume her nap while the humans' tussling and whispers started anew.
/
5:00 p.m.
.
They were watching TV. In the living room. All three of them. Steve turned to Catherine, who was sitting on the floor, her back propped against the sofa while the dog's head rested contentedly in her lap.
"You realize we're sitting on the floor here?" Steve grinned. He'd slid down next to Catherine and she was tucked into his side.
She gave him a beautiful smile. "I wanted her to feel like she belonged. Look, she's falling asleep. We really should name her, Steve. We can't call her doggy and pretty girl indefinitely." Catherine turned to face him as far as she could without disturbing the dog. "We're doing this, right? Keeping her, I mean? Because I couldn't name her if we had to give her up …"
Steve smiled. "Looks like she's keeping us."
Catherine beamed. Steve shifted and kissed her temple. She looked as happy as he'd ever seen her. That was worth everything, even if he wasn't already just as attached to the dog as her; which he most definitely was. Steve would have agreed to adopt her, just to keep that look on Catherine's face. That joy in her eyes.
"Naming a dog is very important." Steve stated.
She looked at him, chuckling. "Since when? You've never had a pet."
"Since now, Cath. "
"Okay, any ideas?"
"It can't be stupid or silly. People will judge her on the name. And it makes a statement about us." He ran a hand over the dog's fur.
"Since when do you care about what people think of us?" Catherine asked, genuinely curious.
Steve was completely quiet for a few heartbeats and Catherine's breath caught inexplicably when he quietly said, "Since it's not just us anymore."
She blinked at him and he continued. "I mean … I've always cared what people think of you. You know that. It's just … important." He let the sentence fade and Catherine took his hand and brought it to her lips.
The dog shifted on Catherine's lap and stood to stretch and she smiled. "So. Names?"
"Nothing too … cute."
"Are you suggesting I'd pick a cutesy name, McGarrett?" Catherine's eyes twinkled as she teased him.
"Nope. Just laying some ground rules. Nothing embarrassing either."
"For you or the dog?" She continued teasing him. He looked so serious, his brows together in thought. "Let's throw a few out there … Sailor?"
"No, you call me that sometimes." Steve shook his head.
"Okay, true." Catherine glanced up as the dog bounded up the stairs. "Look, she's feeling more comfortable. That's the farthest she's been from one of us since we brought her home."
"Think she's okay up there?" Steve's eyes went to the second floor.
"Give her a minute. She may just be exploring."She settled back against Steve. "See, here she comes."
"Hey," Steve said when the dog stopped on the landing. "Where'd you go?"
Catherine chuckled at Steve McGarrett conversing with a dog. "Steve, she's got something …" She kneeled up. "C'mere girl. Good girl." Catherine coaxed.
"What's she got?" Steve didn't move, not wanting to startle the dog, in case whatever she had wasn't safe.
"I dog-proofed the house pretty well, it's material … oh. C'mon, pretty, let me have that." Catherine giggled, and wiggled her fingers at the dog, who stood a few feet away in a play-bow. Butt up, front in a bowing position, trying to entice the humans into a game.
"Are those your pants?" Steve laughed.
"They're my cammies." Cath grinned when the dog 'woofed'. "I was going to cut them into shorts; the old ones have a … broken zipper." She looked at Steve pointedly. "Oh please … don't even say it." She rolled her eyes as Steve opened his mouth to speak with a wicked look on his face.
"What?" He smirked. "You know I like you in cammies, you …" Steve stopped when the dog made a soft 'woof', trotted up and dropped the pants in front of him. He looked at the dog and said "cammies" again in a low voice. She stared at him with rapt attention. "Cath," He whispered, "Watch. Cammies."
"Woof." The dog's head tilted.
"Oh my God." Catherine giggled. "Cammies." The dog walked around Steve to Catherine's kneeling form and sat very close, offering her paw.
"Cammies." Steve said again, chuckling.
"Woof!" Louder. And the dog left Catherine's side to go to Steve.
"Holy crap." Steve laughed. "She just picked her own name. Cammie!" he said with an upbeat tone and the dog leaped into the air and spun around. "Cammie it is, then."
Catherine clapped and stood. "C'mon, Cammie, let's get you some dinner." And the dog followed her into the kitchen, tail wagging hard enough that her whole back half moved from side to side.
/
That evening
Steve answered the door for Danny just as Kamekona pulled up.
"Perfect timing." Danny said as the dog came flying up to him. "Hey, doggie. Let's stay inside." He led her away from the front door. "C'mon, shrimp king, close the door before the dog gets out."
"Comin', comin'." Kamekona went inside holding two large bags of food. "Hey, you got a dog? When you get a dog?" He looked between Catherine and Steve.
"Couple of days ago." Steve took the food bags. "Followed us around a crime scene."
"Are you staying for dinner?" Catherine asked with a smile.
"Thanks, Sista but tonight it's cater and run. Got a family party to get to."
The dog came up to check out the new visitor who'd brought the good-smelling bags. Kamekona patted her head. "That's not for you." He looked at Steve. "What's her name?"
"Cammie" Steve and Catherine said together.
"You name da Ilio after me?" He looked like he wasn't too sure about sharing a nickname with a dog.
Danny laughed. "After you? Who other than Catherine ever calls you Kami? It's after this animal's …" He pointed at Steve "the two legged one's … penchant for all things military. It's short for camouflage isn't it?" He addressed Catherine to confirm his analysis.
Catherine nodded while she and Steve exchanged a knowing look. "Yeah. She named herself. We were talking about cammies …"
"Woof!"
"See?" Catherine laughed. "She kept doing that, so she chose her own name."
"Of course she did." Danny shook his head and looked at the dog.
/
After dinner
Catherine took Cammie out for a bathroom break as Steve and Danny cleaned up the remnants of dinner. "So, think about what I said. Take her to a few classes. It helps them learn with distractions. She's smart. All dogs need basic obedience, but smart ones like to have a job." Danny explained.
"She'd do great." Steve looked proud. "She could have been a K-9 dog."
"Power down, doggy daddy. I'm not saying you have to go overboard and make her the canine version of you."
Steve shot his friend a look. "She's a pet, Danny. I'm just sayin' she's gonna do great. I'll Google a dog school."
Danny looked at Catherine who was coming inside with Cammie at her heels. "Hey, Cath, wasn't the lady who bought your house last fall a dog trainer?"
"Yes, actually. Francine. She has two rescued cocker spaniel mixes. One's an agility champion. Her boyfriend owns a dog training school. Nice guy, he came to the final walk through. Martin Tyrell. I thought that sounded like a 1940's movie star name." Catherine chuckled. "She was my tenant for six months before she bought the house. I got fairly friendly with them. He wanted to set up a portable agility course in the yard and he showed me how the dogs run the course. It was pretty cool." She turned to Steve "Remember? It was like a mini version of the K-9 courses."
Steve nodded as Danny said, "I'd give them a call. I remember her having a spaniel with her when she stopped by for the extra set of keys after you closed on the house. Grace was at HQ and she asked to pet the dog." Danny glanced at his watch. "Hey, I gotta go. Thanks for dinner."
"I'll call her." Catherine said as Danny ruffled the dog's fur and stage whispered to her. "Cammie, Listen to your Uncle Danno; you've got the big, badass SEAL wrapped. You and Grace will get along just fine. I'd fist bump you if you had a fist." He smiled and straightened as he went to the door, saying "I'll see you Monday. Good night. All three of you."
Just as Steve was shutting the door behind his best friend, Catherine couldn't hide her smile as Danny's voice carried in from the driveway. "Told ya, partner. No such thing as a couple of days!"
/
10:00 p.m.
Bedroom
"What are you doing?" Catherine asked Steve as he browsed on her tablet while sitting up against the headboard.
"Look at these …" He showed her the screen. "I ordered Cammie a bed. A REAL one. Cammo pattern. "
Catherine laughed. "Of course you did."
"And we should look into a sitter, Cath, because we can't take her to work every day… and I looked up dog training. Francine is a well known trainer. She's got be doing well to afford the house, right? And her boyfriend, Martin, writes a blog. There are five levels of obedience alone. Not to mention agility, and Therapy Dog Certification and a Canine Good Citizen Test. Cammie could pass that, no problem."
Catherine stooped to kiss Cammie on the head and switched off the lamp before climbing in next to Steve.
"I knew she was really smart. She already does a lot of the stuff listed on Tyrell's website." He read as he scrolled. "She offers behavior, like if we're eating and she wants some, she doesn't beg, she sits. It says here that she's figured out we reward her when she sits by telling her she'd good, so she's 'offering' that to see if it will get her a treat."
Steve looked proudly at Cammie and then at Catherine. "She already knows a bunch of these commands, too. We just have to make sure we practice ten to fifteen minutes a day, until she does them a hundred percent of the time. We'll sign her up for basic obedience. That level is offered at five different times a week. Sunday nights are probably best for us. She could have been K-9, Cath."
"Steve?" Catherine rolled her eyes at his concentration as he continued to read. "Steve?" He was nothing if not focused.
He glanced up "Sorry, yeah?"
"Maybe we get past teaching Cammie to stay off our bed a hundred percent of the time, before you have her join Five-0?" she smiled at his enthusiasm and kissed him.
"Got it." He grinned. "One thing at a time." He turned to the dog, who seemed to be smiling up at them from her bed. "Right, Cammie?"
"Woof!"
/
End. Thanks for reading!
/
The info on dog training is legit. Dog training is a lot of fun for dogs and humans, too. MacKenzie does 'fun-gility' - agility where we don't compete for prizes, and is a Certified Therapy Dog.~ Mari
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