Merlin sits proudly at the edge of the flower bed. Even from a distance O'Neill can tell the dog is covered in dirt. He sighs when he sees the hole in the dirt. Merlin has taken to digging lately.
"What am I going to with you?" he asks the dog. Merlin trots over with his tail held high.
"This is not something you should be proud of, dog." He says sternly. Merlin ignores him and waits at the porch door.
"Oh no. You're not tracking all that mud into the house." Jack digs out the hose and the dog pool. Merlin wags his body. He barks and jumps up on Jack. The mud smears all over his jeans. Jack sighs.
"You do this on purpose, don't you?" He rinses the dirt and mud off the puppy. The dog's tongue hangs out to catch the water.
Jack runs into the house for the dog shampoo. When he gets back outside Merlin is sitting in the pool. He shakes his head. "Yeah, you do this on purpose." Jack fills the pool. Merlin rolls over, splashing water over the sides. Jack lathers up the pup with the soap. The scent of coconut fills the air.
He rinses off Merlin's body and tail first. Jack turns the hose attachment to gentle mist and rinses off the puppy's head. Merlin tips his head up, closes his eyes and enjoys the shower.
Jack rolls his eyes. This is the third bath he's had to give Merlin in two weeks. The puppy is a big fan of baths. He strongly suspects that the retriever genes are to blame for this. Merlin has turned into a water dog. He also thinks the dog is bored.
"C'mon out, now." Jack tells him. Merlin hops out of the pool and Jack sprays him one last time to get the rest of the soap off him. Merlin braces and shakes. Water flies everywhere. Jack sighs. Now he's gonna smell like wet dog.
Merlin races up and down the yard, stopping every so often to shake the water off. Finally done he hops up on Jack's lap. Jack moves over on the chair. This has become a routine. Merlin gets a bath and then basks in the sun in the same chair as he does. Merlin inches and wriggles around until his body is wedged next to O'Neill and his head is resting on Jack's leg.
Jack strokes the dog's head. "We need to find you a home, bud," Jack comments. The problem is Merlin is perfectly happy with him. Even if he is bored sometimes. Jack sympathizes. Merlin's not a people dog. He liked bossing his littermates around, perfecting his herding skills, and hanging with Jack. Now that his siblings have homes he's at a loss.
Leaving Merlin sprawled in the chair he fills in the hole. The dog is starting to dig deeper. The dirt is hard packed. Jack loosens some of it with the shovel. He pulls up the dead flower and shakes off the potting soil into the hole. He turns over the dirt and tamps it all down one last time.
Going back to the porch he finds Bella on the other chair. "Where am I supposed to sit?" he asks the dogs.
Bella hops off the chair. "Gee thanks," he grumbles. Bella settles down at his feet. Soon he has two snoring dogs on his deck. He snaps on the radio and listens to his favorite classical station. Dogs, classical music, sun on the deck and his comfortable chair. Jack sighs happily. Soon he drops off into a doze with his dogs.