A Walk in the Park

 Hi all!  This afternoon, I was really caught up in a great book...

 ...When something jumped on me!  "What was that?" I said, standing up quickly.

 "Oh, it was you, Chocolate Chip." I said.  My dog whined at the door, and looked pleadingly into my eyes.

"I don't want to take you out right now, puppy." I told her. "I'm reading."  Chocolate Chip barked and pawed at the door.

"Whatever." I said, getting up. "But this better be quick."  Sighing, I followed my excited, running puppy downstairs, where I found Elizabeth cuddling with her dog, Sugar.

 

 "Where are you going with that face?" my sister asked.

"To the park." I replied. "Chocolate Chip needs to do her...stuff."

"I see." Elizabeth said with a knowing smile. "Well, have a nice walk."

 "Ug, I want to be reading, not doing this." I whined unhappily.  "Chocolate Chip!"

 "Chocolate Chip?  Where are you?" I said, worried.  Elizabeth says you don't know how good something is until you don't have it, which I found to be true.  I searched all over the park, looking for her.  Calling her name.  I have never been more frightened in my life!  I mean, Chocolate Chip had run off before, but she always came running back when I called.

Suddenly, behind a latter, I saw a familiar brown body.  Chocolate Chip!

 "Oh my sweet puppy, you can never gone running off like that." I said, half-scolding, half-hugging my squirming dog.

 "Let's go home, Chocolate Chip." I said to my puppy. "That's enough excitement for one day."

Owning a dog is not always a walk in the park, in my opinion, it's always worth the trouble.