his own boy. Frank had hand selected Spencer when Spencer had come to visit him when he was just a puppy.
Frank immediately knew this was the boy he would go home with. He decided to mark him with a small bite to the ear. That way I’ll remember him if he comes back, thought Frank.
The boy did come back. Frank didn’t bark at him that time. He was too excited. “I have so much to do before I leave.” He ran to tell his brothers and sister goodbye. “I am going to my boy’s house to live. I intend on keeping watch over him and making sure he is raised correctly.”
Frank piled into the car with Spencer and Spencer’s parents, Darryl and Lora. It was once in the car that Frank was embarrassed for the very first time, not for barking but for the smell that was emitting from him. Oh, did he stink. “Maybe I should not have rolled in that fragrant goo quite as much as I did,” Frank said as an afterthought.
Upon arriving at Spencer’s house, Frank found himself immediately up to his ears in water. He had only stepped foot in the kitchen, and the next thing he knew he was being lifted up and over then splashed down into some warm, sudsy water. “This ought to get the stink off him, Mom,” said Spencer. “He sure is a smelly one!”
Life after that was for the most part wonderful. Sure, there were the trips to see Dr. Garver for his checkups, the learning to sleep in his own bed at night, and the fact that the boy he had picked was, shall we say, a little bit slow and had to attend school every day but the weekends and the dog days of summer.
One day, shortly after Frank had discovered his voice, Spencer walked into the room. Frank looked up. He could tell there was somebody standing in the room, but he could not make out the face. “Someone’s after my boy,” thought Frank. “I vowed to watch over him, and I shall.” Frightened but not wanting to show it, Frank started viciously barking. He put his nose into the air, ears back, and started running and barking at the figure in the room.
“Frank, it’s me, boy. Why are you barking at me?” asked a surprised Spencer.
Just then, Frank was close enough to the figure to realize that it was indeed Spencer, and hearing Spencer’s voice confirmed that his realization was correct. He could have died from embarrassment. How could that have happened to him? How could he have barked at his very own boy? To spare himself any more embarrassment, Frank decided to act as if he really were barking at something he had seen out the window, although there wasn’t even a window nearby.
The days wore on. Frank started barking more and more at people as they would enter the room. “Darn it! I did it again,” Frank declared. “This has got to stop.”
Off to See Dr. Garver
On Frank’s next visit to see the doctor, it was brought to Dr. Garver’s attention that perhaps Frank was having a bit of trouble with his vision.
“Dachshunds as a general rule have good hearing and vision,” said the doctor. “However, Frank seems to be a bit farsighted. We can run some tests to find out.”
Tests were run, and yes, Frank was very farsighted.
“I will custom design a set of glasses for this fine hound,” said Dr. Garver enthusiastically. “I have never made glasses for a dog with such a big nose before.”
What! Frank was embarrassed yet again. “What did he mean by a dog with such a big nose? Could Dr. Garver be talking about me?”
I guess it hadn’t been mentioned yet, but Frank did have a big nose. In fact, Frank was not your common-looking dachshund at all. Frank was a dachshund of many colors. Spencer called him a dapple. Miss Hiss, the cranky, old cat that lived with him, called him an eyesore.
Frank thought dapple meant handsome when actually dapple just referred to his color. And he was colorful. Let’s point out his highlights. Frank had a white tip on the end of his black tail. He had one eye that was brown and one that was blue. He had two brown eyebrows and a beautiful white stripe around his neck that looked much like he was wearing a scarf. His nose was black with a pink x right in the middle of it. His rear feet looked as if he were wearing socks. He had a pink belly and a brown bottom. He had long, floppy, brown ears that would perk up when he knew you were talking about him. Oh, and his lips. He had the cutest black lips that would only show when he was really smiling.
Now back to the glasses. Dr. Garver worked hard over the next hour designing and fitting Frank with his new spectacles. “This ought to be just the ticket,” said Dr. Garver as he slipped the glasses over Frank’s ears.
Frank was amazed. Not only were the glasses a perfect fit, but he could see things that had only been shadows moments before. “I can see,” sang Frank. “I can see, and the world is beautiful. My boy is even more handsome than I thought. I hope to never bark at him again.”
The Lake
It was summer vacation for Spencer. Frank would have three months where he wouldn’t have to watch Spencer leave for school or wait all day for his return.
Summer’s going to be the best time, thought Frank. Boy and I will run and play every day. We can sleep until noon if we want. We can chase squirrels out in the backyard. I know boy will love that.
“Frank, do you want to go to the lake?” asked Spencer. “Do you want to go in the car?”
Frank cocked his head from side to side trying to comprehend what his boy had asked him. “The lake? What is that?” Yes. I want to go, whatever it is.”
More than anything, Frank liked to go places. The minute anyone asked about going somewhere, Frank was the first one to respond.
Frank knew that the lake must be something special. Spencer’s parents were busy packing food and running things out to the truck. Frank ran back and forth with each load that was taken to the truck. He was not going to be left behind, and if he was not going to be left behind, he had better make sure he was by the truck should it happen to leave.
They don’t dare leave me behind, thought Frank. I am too cute to be left behind.
Frank was not left behind. He was lifted up into the truck and with his blanket, set down in the seat next to his boy. Frank had gotten his glasses tinted dark so that the sun wouldn’t bother his eyes, and he put them on once in the truck. He had heard that it was going to be hot and sunny at the lake. His boy looked down at him and smiled. Frank smiled back. Such a grand adventure, thought Frank.
After more than four hours of driving, Frank, Spencer, and Spencer’s family had arrived at the lake. The lake, as it turned out, was only water. It was pretty, but he couldn’t figure out what the big deal was. It was just water. In fact, Frank was a bit disappointed. “I had water in my dish at home.”
Everybody piled out of the truck, including Frank. They walked down the stairs to a house at the edge of a cliff that overlooked the lake. There was a large, grassy yard and birds everywhere. Birds were second best to squirrels to chase. “I had squirrels at home,” pouted Frank.
Frank walked into the house with his boy. “Let’s put your bed in here by my bed, Frank,” Spencer said as he set Frank’s bed in the bedroom down the hall. “You will be nice and comfortable here.”
“I was comfortable at home,”
