The Pug of the Opera
Erik decided that Beau should sleep in a box on the floor in the kitchen. The problem was, Beau had different plans: As soon as Erik turned off the electric light and tried to leave the kitchen he started wailing in a tone Erik could not endure. He felt like this was some sort of music, it ripped through his body directly into his heart. He could not listen to it, so he moved the box to his bedroom, thinking that the tiny puppy was afraid of being alone - small wonder, it had been abandoned in the streets, so of course it was scared of being abandoned again.
But Beau decided that the box was by far not large enough - even if a German Shepard dog would fit into the box comfortably - and the much larger box - Erik's coffin - would be just right. So he started wailing. "Shut up!" Erik yelled. Beau was silent for a moment, then, just as Erik settled down again, began anew. It was a test of nerves - who had the stronger will and could dominate the other one. But Beau wasn't challenging Erik's superiority, on the contrary, his wailing said "I am such a helpless poor puppy, please help me!" and Erik found he could not let the poor thing suffer like this. Erik thought he had endured the pug's wailing for hours before he finally gave in, in truth it was less than three minutes.
As soon as he lifted Beau into his coffin, which was comfortably padded with a soft mattress, pillows and blankets, the puppy chose the pile of pillows at the head-side of the coffin to curl up and sleep. Erik had to push him away to be able to lay his own head on the pillows and Beau decided that Erik's cheek made the best pillow for his tiny nose. Within moments the puppy was snoring. Erik wondered how Beau had done this - occupied his pillow and using his face as a pillow - without him being angry at all, on the contrary, he loved the soft snoring of the pug and soon fell asleep.
To be woken at five a.m. in the morning by a puppy licking his nose-hole lovingly.
"Ugh! Beau, no, I don't... mpf!" As soon as he started speaking the puppy turned his loving attention to Erik's mouth, starting to lick that. Erik had to push him away with one hand, wiping the dog's slobber from his face. Beau stared at him with his large puppy eyes, panting happily. Just as Erik tried to sleep again Beau sneezed into Erik's nose-hole. "O God! Just what I needed - pug snot in my nose!" Erik groaned, got up and turned on the light fully. Since in the cellars was eternal darkness he usually left at least one dim light on to make sure he would be able to see when he woke. He put the puppy down on the floor as he took a handkerchief from his nighttable to blow his nose.
When he put the handkerchief away he saw the puppy had left a rather large dog-doo under his organ bench. "You come with me," Erik sighed, picked the puppy up as he went to the bathroom. He needed to relief himself before he could take the puppy to the litter box. This proved to be a bad idea for the puppy took Erik's example as an invitation to leave a puddle on the floor, his tail waggling happily as if he had done something right. "Alright, I get it. Another litter box in the bathroom," Erik sighed as he began cleaning up. The pug constantly following him around, trying to stay between his feet, which made it almost impossible to walk.
Having Beau in his flat changed Erik's live completely. His usually tidy flat suddenly wasn't tidy, the pug had the habit of exploring everything - and exploring meant he tested everything if it was edible or at least a good toy. Erik was constantly busy keeping the dog from doing something bad or mopping up something. He soon learned that Beau loved him and a sharp "No" was enough to tell the dog that he should not do it while a cheerful "Good" encouraged him to do it again. Beau was a good natured dog who wanted his master to love him - but he seemed to have the same view at rules in general Erik had: As long as no one catches me, everything is allowed.
Unlike Erik the pug never moved noiselessly around. Erik had to laugh as he learned that the little fawn dog was constantly making noises. Beau's claws were clicking on the hardwood floor, Beau was either making a sound like he was mumbling to himself or - if he was sniffing something - some sort of staccato snoring, he was yelping, barking or purring like a cat when he was happy, he might even be burping, sneezing or farting rather loud and when he slept he was snoring and sometimes barking in his sleep when he was having a vivid dream.
There was only one time when the pug was absolutely noiseless - and that was if he was up to something he knew perfectly well was forbidden, like chewing on Erik's violin bow, his shoes, eating the carpet or stealing Erik's used underwear from the laundry basket or of course stealing food. Erik wondered how well this little dog could climb if he wanted to reach some food. Food was the key to everything, the pug would do everything for food and Erik soon realized that he had to be careful not to feed Beau too much.
Erik's life revolved around the puppy from that day on. He had to watch the pug, play with the pug, educate the pug, cuddle the pug - something the puppy never got enough of - feed the pug and help the pug sleep. The little dog could be so tired he fell asleep standing on his feet but he refused to sleep for fear Erik would leave him. Beau would only settle down and sleep when Erik sat down so the pug could sleep on his lap - or at least at his feet on the floor with his tiny head on Erik's slippers.
Erik loved to watch the tiny bundle sleep on his lap. It was the perfect picture of peace and contentment. In moments like that he completely forgot all the trouble and anger the little dog caused, he felt like a warm golden glow of pure love evaporated from the dog and he bathed in its warmth. This dog loved him unconditionally, for this little dog he was the center of the whole universe.
Very soon the lively puppy became too active to live solely in the flat. He was already using the litter boxes Erik had put up in bathroom, kitchen and bedroom, but Erik soon found he had to find some way to exhaust the dog somehow. He had to go shopping again, but he could not bear to hear the heartbreaking sorrowful howl of the tiny chubby puppy and see the large brown soulful eyes in the wrinkled face when he wanted to leave the flat without the dog.
So he put the dog in a bag and carried him to a shop where he could buy a dog's collar and a leash. He didn't want to risk the puppy getting lost. Beau did not know how to obey yet and was easily distracted and constantly busy exploring everything new.
The shopkeeper stared at him. Well, everyone stared at him. Even covered with the false nose and the false beard he looked ugly. He knew that, every reflection of himself in the windows told him. But when Erik placed the bag on the table and asked for a collar and a leash for that dog, the shopkeeper stared at the dog, then at Erik - and laughed. He laughed until he had tears in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Monsieur, but... you and this dog make the oddest couple I ever saw," he told Erik, then caressed the tiny dogs head and brought several collars and leashes. "He will grow, so you need more collars."
"How tall?" Erik asked, he knew pugs were lapdogs, so this one wouldn't become much taller.
"About... this size," the man spread his hands, "I guess yours is about two months old, so it will become about trice as heavy. Your wife is completely spoiling him, isn't she?"
Erik said nothing. He had never thought anyone would assume he had a wife. Not that he didn't want to get married - no girl, no woman would ever accept any man so ugly as he was. But it made sense - pugs were considered to be ladie's dogs. Most men preferred larger dogs which could be trained as guard dogs or something like that. Pugs never had any other task in life than being loved. This was something old ladies preferred.
Erik chose some brown leather collars and a brown leather leash. Beau wasn't happy about the collar and immediately began scratching. It became worse when he was on the leash - Beau didn't like wherever Erik was pulling him and resisted with all the strength this tiny puppy had.
Erik felt like the worst torturer as he had to use his strength to pull the puppy with him, but he had to teach Beau to accept the leash, everything else was too dangerous for the dog might run into a carriage, under the hooves of a horse or just run away and he would never find him again.
It took two hours and Erik was close to breaking down and giving in, giving the pug the opportunity to lead him wherever he wanted, when the puppy finally accepted that Erik was the one who decided where to go and trotted obediently beside his master with his tail hanging down. Erik gave a sigh of relief and made sure to praise Beau, he even promised him cheese because he knew Beau loved cheese. At the word "cheese" the pug's head shot up and his tail curled into the cinnamon form it usually had, waggling happily. "I guess you already understand that word. But you do not understand 'sit' or 'stay' or 'quiet'."
Well, he would have to work on that. With enough cheese as reward the pug surely would learn to obey simple commands.