My Name is Miracle

Self-Control

(Author's very important note: Please do not criticize my lack of expertise when it comes to police dogs, K9 units, etc. I fully intend to get an interview or two with an officer who works with a German shepherd very soon, but as of yet I have not done this. If, after my interview, there is anything that needs changing about my story I will make the changes. I have ridden in a canine car and have been present during a raid. That is the extent of my experience, but as I said, I will be doing more research. Be patient. I am serious about this book and looking for a decent illustrator as well.)

My days passed in puppy bliss with my mother and our owners. Mostly my mother and I spent our time in the warm sun outside, but we also were allowed to curl up with our owners to watch movies before bedtime quite often. I would curl up with the human lady while my mother preferred to rest at the feet of her husband while he sat in his easy chair reading or using his little tablet computer device (my mother explained computers to me, using the main computer in the office to teach me to read while the owners were away).

I thought for sure that was it. I had secured my spot in the family and no longer needed to worry about being taken away. People didn't even come to see me anymore. That was fine by me, except oh boy did that world outside our fence entice me. I sure would have liked to see what was out there, but not at the cost of leaving my mother.

I missed my siblings and I could tell my mother did too, although she didn't talk much about it. She would sometimes get a far-away look on her face while we were outside and I would catch her staring off toward the gate they came and went through when they'd taken her pups. Inside, in our room, there were times when she would get a sad, longing look on her face and she would stare at the basket we were born in for a few minutes. She stayed away from that basket, sleeping instead with me on the towels the owners left on the floor for us.

My potty training (although I get embarrassed to talk about it) went smoothly as did any other necessary training for me. It didn't take more than once or twice for me to learn that I needed to be let outside to do my business and that if there wasn't anyone there to let me out, I needed to just hold it and wait. That was difficult sometimes. When you need to go, you need to go, but for dogs, we learn to go when we have the chance, even if we don't feel like we have to. When the owners were there to let us out, I went out and tried. There were times they weren't home for hours, but I held it until they got home. They sure were proud of me about that. How embarrassing, being praised and given little treats for not pooping on the floor!

That aside, I did learn fast. I also learned to sit quietly and wait for my supper. Even when it was set down on the floor, we didn't move a muscle until we get the "okay". When the owners ate their dinner (and oh how their food smelled delicious), we were not allowed into the dining room. Begging was a foreign concept to me, I never did it and neither did my mother. Yes, they ate foods that had smells that made my tummy grumble, but no they were not on the menu and asking for them was not okay.

One afternoon, our lady owner came home with an excited look on her face. She came into the T.V. room singing my name. 

"Miracle! Ohhh Miraaaacle! I have a surprise for you, boy!"

I came bounding up to her, yipping with excitement. What could she have brought me? I couldn't even imagine!

She held out something totally new and strange, kneeling down on the floor with it. It was a collar like my mother's, that part I recognized, but there was a long section of rope attached to it. She showed me a little, metal tag that dangled from the collar with my name engraved on it. That was cool! It meant I was official! Our address and phone number were engraved on the other side. When she put it around my neck, it was a bit strange and uncomfortable at first. I couldn't get to it to bite it. I tried using my hind leg to scratch it off. I spun in little circles trying to chase the clinking noise it made.