Chapter 20 – Puppy-dog Tales
Sam looked up from her laptop when she heard the back door slam. The noise was quickly followed by the pounding of 6 small feet and the scratching noises of claws as they scampered across the linoleum. Excited chatter filtered down the hallway and into the study, where Sam was working on reconfiguring the latest data she had received regarding the upgrades for the Prometheus. Upon hearing kitchen cabinets being opened and closed none too gently, and the absence of the deep-timbered voice of her husband, Sam rose from her desk and went to investigate.
When she entered the kitchen, Sam's eyes widened in surprise, though truthfully, nothing should surprise her anymore when it came to her three precocious children. JJ sat on the countertop, his body turned toward the cabinets, where he seemed to be searching for something. Grace was on the floor, her head buried in the lower cabinets and arms moving rapidly as she dumped boxes and cans of food left and right. Both Maddie and Poppy were running in circles around the kitchen table and, from her vantage point, Sam couldn't tell who was chasing whom.
Leaning casually against the door, Sam allowed herself a moment to watch them unobserved. As was wont their individual personalities, each child went about their business separately. JJ was methodical and careful in his searching, Grace more haphazard and hurried. Maddie was just…well, her free spirited self at the moment. Sam smiled as Poppy caught up to Maddie, nipped playfully at the little girl's untied shoelaces, before she turned and forced the chase to recommence in the opposite direction. Maddie giggled loudly and resumed the chase.
Shaking her head ruefully, Sam wondered to herself if the dog would survive beyond its second month with the family. The first month had brought a lot of adjustments to the O'Neill's. Not only did Poppy have to be fed, walked, and cleaned up after daily, she also had to be trained. Sam insisted that they start immediately with housebreaking the dog and teaching her simple commands such as sit and down. She had been pleasantly surprised at how quickly the dog learned…much quicker that her children had, she though with a smile.
Jack had taken the training seriously and allowed the children to help as much as possible. After all, he wanted Poppy to obey all of them, not just him. He also made sure the yard was cleaned up every day for he didn't want his children stepping in any dog messes. Grace and JJ were responsible for feeding Poppy each morning and making sure she had fresh water. They were both eager to take care of their new pet and took her on daily walks around the block as well.
Refusing to give into the children's pleas that Poppy be allowed to sleep on their beds, Jack and Sam had purchased a kennel, which stayed in the laundry room. This is where Poppy was put to bed each night. That first night, the puppy had whined and whined until Sam had almost given in. But a reminder from Jack if they gave in now, they'd never get her to accept sleeping in the kennel, firmed her resolve. The next morning, when Sam had gone to check on the puppy, she had been startled to find Grace sleeping on the floor next to the kennel. She was snuggled up in a sleeping bag, the fingers of her right hand hanging loosely through the kennel's grate. Poppy had looked up when Sam entered the room, thumped her tail once, then delicately licked Grace's fingers as if to say, "See. Someone was worried about me being all alone."
Sam didn't have the heart to scold Grace for sleeping in the laundry room that night…nor the next. But by the third night, she gently told Grace that Poppy wouldn't adjust to her bed if Grace was there each night. And so, after good-night hugs and kisses from all three children, Poppy spent the following night alone. She had surprised them all by quickly settling down and going to sleep. It appeared as if she just needed some reassurance those first few nights, which Grace had given her. In addition to being Poppy's bed and a place to put her when she misbehaved, the kennel also became her haven, especially when the puppy needed a bit of a break from an over exuberant Maddie.
Maddie had fallen in love with Poppy from the get go. She followed the dog everywhere; throwing balls for her, giving her endless hugs, and pulling gently on her tail when she wanted Poppy's attention. She had also taken to resting her head on the puppy's stomach when both were tired from all their playing. Thankfully, Poppy was gentle and never bit the child. She would just retreat to her kennel when things got a bit too rough or she was tired from the attention, which wasn't too often.
Maddie was so enthralled with their new pet that she would often get down on all fours and pretend to be a dog right alongside Poppy. Jack had found it amusing at first, until he had found Maddie with her head in Poppy's dish, eating right alongside the dog. Maddie had looked up when Jack called her name, a grin on her face as she crunched on puppy kibble. "Me eat wif Poppy!" she'd declared.
"For crying out loud," Jack had muttered as he picked her up under one arm and marched her to the bathroom, where he'd brushed and rinsed her teeth, all the while reminding her that she was a little girl, not a dog.
"But I wikes being a doggie!" came the adamant protest. Jack had just rolled his eyes.
Sam had been a bit more amused at the incident than Jack, but wisely kept her comments to herself. At least the little girl hadn't tried to go to the bathroom outside!
Shaking herself from her thoughts, Sam pushed away from the door.
"What's going on in here?" she asked with mild curiosity as she came into the room.
All activity ceased as three pairs of eyes, two bright blue and one brown, looked up at her.
Maddie was the first to speak. "Poppy want tweets!" she declared as she stopped chasing the dog and came over to her mother. She stood in front of Sam and looked up, a beguiling smile on her face.
Sam smiled down into the sparkling blue eyes of her youngest child and gently cupped her chin. "She does, does she? And what has she done to earn a treat?" Sam knew full well that Jack only allowed the dog treats when he was training her.
Grace answered this time. "Daddy is going to teach Poppy to come and said we could help!" she stated importantly. "We needs to get some treats, though, else Poppy doesn't listen too good," she added knowingly.
Sam smiled. "Ah, I see. So, did daddy tell you where the treats are?" She looked pointedly at the mess on the floor next to Grace.
JJ frowned. "Somewhere in the kitchen, but me and Gracie can't find them."
Sam walked over and reached into a cabinet above JJ's head. She pulled down a box of puppy treats and handed them to her son, before plucking him off the counter. "We had to put them up high because Maddie thought they were cookies," she reminded him. Unfortunately, the lecture on not eating dog food had not carried over to dog biscuits.
Grace made a face. "She eated 3 of them 'fore daddy caught her. That's bisgusting," the little girl shuddered in remembrance.
Sam turned to Grace with a smile. "Yes, well, she is only two Grace. And you tried eating some rather disgusting things yourself when you were her age."
Grace looked at her mother with surprise. "Like what?"
"Hmm, I seem to recall someone making mudpies, then trying to eat them, Playdoh – which you said was salty like pretzels, and even trying a bit of hamster food one time," Sam stated with raised eyebrows.
"Eww!" Grace and JJ said together.
Sam laughed. "Yes, that's what I thought." She looked out into the back yard to where Jack was waiting with the leash. "Come on, daddy's waiting."
"Is you going to help too mommy?" Grace asked eagerly. Sam usually left most of the training up to Jack, so Grace was excited by the prospect of her mother joining them outside.
Sam picked Maddie up and settled her onto her hip. "Well, I think I might just watch, sweetheart. I think daddy's going to have all the help he can use from you three." She chuckled secretly to herself as she followed JJ and Grace out the door, Poppy running eagerly behind JJ. Unbeknownst to any of them, Sam had been spending a little time training Poppy herself!
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Sitting on the deck with a glass of iced tea beside her, Sam smiled at the training session going on in the backyard. Just as she had predicted, Jack had his hands full with the dog and three eager trainers in tow. Poppy sat in the grass looking at Jack in bewilderment. She was tethered to her leash, which Jack held in one hand. When he called to her, she cocked her head to one side, looking at him in confusion, until he tugged on the leash, forcing her up and moving forward. At this point, JJ and Grace cheered loudly, startling the dog and causing her to veer off in their direction instead of toward Jack. Maddie stood next to Jack, clapping her hands in delight every time Poppy made any sort of movement.
Jack shook his head in resignation; this just working. He looked up when Sam called to him. "You sure you can handle this?" she asked with a hint of humor in her voice.
Jack narrowed his eyes at her obvious enjoyment of his rather less than stellar training session. "Think you can do any better, Carter?" he asked with a touch of gruffness. Sam just laughed.
"I'm sure I couldn't, dear, not with those three hanging around," she indicated the children with a nod of her head.
Jack's frown turned into a soft smile of amusement as he watched the three children gathered on their knees around Poppy, heaping words of praise and gentle pats on her, even though she failed time and again to come to Jack on command. He shook his head once more, unclipped Poppy's leash, and went to join Sam on the porch.
Settling into a chair with a sigh, he grabbed a sip of her tea before he remarked, "Maybe I should take her to obedience classes…alone," he added for good measure.
Sam leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek. "You're doing just fine, honey. And you know the kids love being a part of Poppy's training."
Jack looked out across the yard, where Poppy was now chasing after a ball that the children gleefully took turns tossing for her. "What training? All that dog can do is chase a ball and sometimes, sit on command," he gruffed good-naturedly.
Smiling, Sam replied, "And entertain three very active children, don't forget." She placed a hand on his arm. "Don't worry, she'll get it eventually."
Jack just snorted in response. After a while, both children and dog got tired out and came to sit on the deck with their parents. Poppy plopped down at Sam's feet and laid her head on her paws.
"Daddy?" Grace asked. "Why didn't you let us give Poppy a treat?"
"Because, princess, she didn't come when I called her," Jack replied.
Grace frowned. "She camed to JJ and me. Doesn't that count?"
"No, sweetheart. She needs to learn to come to the person who is calling her," Jack replied patiently.
"Oh," came the disappointed reply. Grace felt that Poppy should have a treat just for trying…she was just a puppy after all!
"Let me give it a try," Sam suddenly announced, getting to her feet. "I bet I can get her to come."
Jack quirked an eyebrow at her, wondering what she was up to. "What do you want to bet?" he finally asked.
"Oh, I don't know. Loser makes dinner and does the dishes?" she asked innocently.
Jack regarded her thoughtfully before finally shrugging his shoulders. He handed her the leash. "Be my guest."
Sam shook her head. "I don't think I'll need that," she replied with a smug grin. Again, Jack narrowed his eyes at her.
"No doohickeys allowed," he stated firmly. He wouldn't put it past her to take out some alien device that was made just to call dogs.
Sam laughed as she made her way down the steps. "No doohickeys," she agreed. She bent and took a handful of biscuits out of the box by JJ's feet, then whistled softly. Poppy's ears perked up and she eagerly got to her feet and followed Sam to the yard. The children stayed where they were, watching with interest as their mother crossed the grass and stopped in the middle of the yard.
Holding a biscuit over the dog's head, she said, "Poppy, sit." Poppy sat and looked expectantly at the biscuit. Sam handed her one, then backed up slowly while the dog devoured her treat. When she was 6 feet away from the still sitting dog, Sam called to her. "Poppy, come here." Then Sam whistled softly once again. Poppy got to her feet and pranced over to Sam, where she once more sat on command before being given another treat. Sam repeated the display several more times before returning to the deck, a wide grin on her face.
The children jumped up and patted Poppy, praising both the dog and their mother for a job well done. Jack frowned at the dog. "Traitor," he muttered. He then turned to Sam. "You tricked me!" he firmly stated.
Sam looked at him innocently. "How did I trick you? I didn't use anything besides dog biscuits, did I?"
"You've obviously been working with her without my knowledge. And," he added for emphasis, "You didn't have the rugrats under foot."
Sam just smiled. "You want to try double or nothing? I'll take the kids out there with me," she offered.
Jack just crossed his arms. "Forget it," he mumbled, for he knew when he'd been beat.
Taking pity on him, Sam came over and sat in his lap, encircling his neck with her arms. "All right, I did kind of trick you. I worked with her a bit late at night, when all of you where in bed." Jack tried to maintain his disgust at her underhanded tactics, but it was hard with her sitting in his lap. Sam went on with her explanation. "I was whistling to the radio one night, and she came to see what the noise was. So I kept practicing with her at night. Seems she responds to whistling," she added with a smile.
"And you didn't bother to mention that to me because?"
Sam bent forward and gave him a tender kiss. "A girl's got to have some secrets, doesn't she?"
Jack harrumphed, then looked around Sam to the dog lying on the grass below, enjoying a tummy rub from three sets of hands. Then, just to try out Sam's theory, he called to the dog. "Poppy, come here." The call was followed by a soft whistle. Poppy immediately got to her feet and came up the steps, before sitting placidly at Jack's feet.
Sam smiled. "See?"
Scratching the dog on the head, he stated, "I'd have figured it out eventually." Sam leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.
"Of course you would have dear. Now, what's for dinner?" she asked with am impish grin.
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In truth, Jack wasn't all that upset that Poppy seemed to respond to Sam the quickest. In fact, he found it both amusing and reassuring, seeing as she was the one who didn't really want a dog in the first place. His wife soon grew as attached to the little retriever as the children did. As soon as she returned from work, Poppy would leave whatever she had been involved in and rush toward Sam, her backside moving back and forth as her tail wagged furiously. Sam made sure to give both children and dog equal attention, which made Poppy particularly loyal to her mistress. When she got bigger, Poppy could be found jogging alongside Sam during their jaunts through the park, tongue lolling as she enjoyed the more vigorous exercise.
The rest of the dog's training was fairly easy, especially when Sam and Jack worked together. Though she was easy to train, Poppy did get into her share of trouble as a puppy. She went through a chewing stage, where everyone found at least one of their shoes chewed beyond repair. Toys that were left lying on the floor were also in danger of becoming the latest victims to the dog's teething. The children's toys weren't the only fatalities. One Sunday afternoon, Jack left a report lying on the coffee table that he had worked on for half a day. Poppy, spying the bright plastic cover, took it gently in her mouth and retreated to a corner, where she chewed it to pieces. Though initially upset over the incident, Jack had been delighted to finally being able to use the excuse, "My dog at my homework" when General Landry asked for said report the next day.
Poppy proved herself worthy in other areas, though. She kept Maddie occupied and out of trouble, gave JJ and Grace the opportunity for added responsibility, and generally brought even more unconditional love into a family where it was already in abundance. As she grew, she also proved to Sam that she was up to the task Jack had originally intended for her. When she was only 5 months old, Poppy prevented Maddie from running into the street after a ball. Somehow, the two of them had escaped the fence enclosed yard and made their way to the front of the house. Maddie had spied JJ's basketball and gone to pick it up. Being that it was a bit large for her small hands, the ball had escaped her clutches and begun to roll slowly down the driveway. The little girl had set chase, not aware of the car barreling down the street in her direction. Poppy had grabbed the toddler by the seat of the pants and held her fast until Jack was able to scoop up the little girl and bring her back into the house. Maddie had earned a time-out and Poppy had earned a large rawhide bone for her bravery.
When Jack had to go on an extended trip to the new Alpha site in early October, he felt more at ease about being gone than he had in a long while. Though he knew Sam was more than capable of looking after the children by herself, the addition of Poppy gave him added peace of mind. At 6 months old, the puppy was nearly full-grown already, weighing in at 50 pounds. While she was not in the least intimidating toward those she knew, she had a protective streak in her that warned strangers from coming too close to the children without permission. It was a trait that Jack was happy to encourage in the dog...and one that would serve them well in the future.
