Mika Doesn’t Know

Ilana is nervous. I can feel it. More nervous than she’s ever been. The feeling seeps off of her and wraps over me. It makes my hair stand on end. I crawl up to her from my spot at the foot of her bed. She’s not asleep. I’m not sure she ever slept last night. She kept tossing around and wouldn’t let me on the bed until almost daylight. I lick my nose and smush it in her face.

“Eww Mika!” Ilana sits up and wipes her arm across her face. “You’re so gross!”

“Arwoof!”

“You need to go potty huh? Come on.” She drags out the come on as she pushes her covers off and gets out of bed.

Moments later I’m outside doing a sniff-sweep of the yard perimeter before bathing in the summer sun. When she calls me back in, she’s changed from night clothes to day clothes. Day clothes don’t hide nerves any more than night clothes do. I begin to wonder why she’s so nervous but then breakfast falls into my bowl and Ilana says eat.

When I’m done with breakfast I sit and shake for my treat. Then I start to wonder again about Ilana’s unease but she pulls out my collar and leash. WALK! But then she takes out my harness. CAR RIDE! Even better! I’m so excited to go with her that I barely register the muzzle that slips into Ilana’s purse before she opens the door for me and I jump in the back seat. She buckles me in. My whole body is wiggling with excitement.

“Be a really good girl today, ok? I really need you to be such a good girl,” Ilana says and pats my head. She’s trying to control her fear but she’s barely made a dent.

My ears droop. What’s going on? But then we’re out of the garage and the houses and trees streak by and I forget again what it is I’m supposed to be worried about.

We pull into a house I’ve never seen and Sarah comes out. She’s worried too, but not nearly as much as Ilana. Sarah is more excited than scared.

Sarah! I wag my tail and try to jump into her seat when she gets in. I’m prevented by my buckle.

“Hi Miki,” Sarah laughs. She pets my head. “Big day for you and you don’t even know it.”

“Mika, get back and stay,” Ilana says to me. To Sarah she says, “Thanks for coming. I’m not sure I could handle both of them alone if something happens.”

“You bet. I’m excited to meet him,” Sarah says.

Him? Who are they talking about?

And then we’re moving again and this time the houses and trees disappear and all I can see are cars. Fast cars. I watch for a while out the window until I get tired. Worrying about Ilana and trying to figure out what’s going wore me out. I drift off to Ilana and Sarah singing along to the radio.

When I wake up, the car is coming to a stop. The girls get out and disappear into a strange big building. Then they come out again with another woman. Ilana opens the car door for me and puts on my muzzle. “Oh Miki, just be good,” she says. Then she unhooks my harness and leads me out of the car.

Dogs. I smell dogs. My nose is doing over time. I strain at the leash.

Ilana holds me back. She shakes my leash, “Relax.”

I’m not sure if that’s for me or her.

“She’s so pretty!” The new lady says. Normally I would want to meet her but I’m overwhelmed at the moment.

“Thank you,” Ilana says, “I really hope this works. The muzzle is just a precaution. Like I said, she’s not aggressive, just—particular.”

“I know. I’m sure it will be fine. He’s such a good boy. If I didn’t already have two, I’d take him in a heartbeat.”

We walk in fits and starts to the building. Ilana is constantly reminding me not to pull and to relax and asking me what she just said.

It’s just so hard to listen. There are dogs in there and I have to get to them.

We walk inside and the lady escorts us to a big room. At one end there is a chain link gate that look out onto a yard. Toys are scattered all over the floor and couch is in the corner. There is also another woman holding a leash. My eyes follow the curve of the lash down to the big dog at the other end. I make a beeline for that dog.

Ilana yanks me back before I make it, “Enough,” her jaw is clenched. “Sit down.”

I don’t move. I want that dog. I stare at him. He looks down at me and wags his tail. Ilana pinches my hips to get me to sit. She holds me still, “Stay.”

The lady with the other dog brings him close so he can sniff me. He’s sniffing me first! I can’t believe this is happening. I’m the boss! He has to know it! I follow him with my eyes. “Grrrrrrr,” escapes me.

“Uh uh,” Ilana jolts the leash a little.

The dog has made a full circle around me without saying anything. The lady with his leash makes him sit. Then it’s my turn. I want to rush him but I think better of it. I try not to let Ilana’s nerves influence me. I walk over to him. “I am Mika. This is my human.”

“I don’t know my name,” he says, “I used to have one. Then I had another one. So I don’t really know. Do you think she could be my human too?” His tail beats out a rhythm on the floor.

“Don’t you already have a human?” I indicate the woman holding his leash.

“Oh she’s not my human. I used to have some. But then they took me to a place with lots of dogs and cages and left me there. I’m not sure why.”

I relax a little. The same thing happened to me, before Ilana found me. I feel my leash slack and hear it drop to the floor. The same thing happens to his leash.

As soon as his leash is dropped, he bounds out and around the room. I follow him. I forgot how much fun a friend is. I forgot how much I miss Sammy. Sammy. I pause in our romp. I look at Ilana. Then I look at this new dog. Sammy shared Ilana with me. Maybe I should share her with this dog. Maybe.

“I can’t believe how well she’s doing,” I hear Ilana say. I can feel her relief flushing out the fear.

“I know,” Sarah says, “And look how cute they are.”

“Do you think I should take her muzzle off?”

“Let’s try it,” one of the ladies says, “She doesn’t seem to be having an issue.”

“That’s because he’s so easygoing,” the other lady says.

“Come here Miki,” Ilana calls and slaps her thigh.

I run over to her and she takes my muzzle off. I stretch my mouth and grab a toy. I run over to the dog and shake it in his face. He tries to gab it. I growl and dance away. He tries again but I’m faster than him. How fun this is!

Suddenly a dog walks past the gate. I drop my toy and run up to the gate. He is with me. His cut ears swivel forward, listening. I wonder why someone cut his ears and shaved him. There is a lot about humans I don’t understand. Another dog is walking by. I push at the gate and growl at the intruder.

He barks, a deep, confident bark. A warning to the other dog.

The interloper passes. I am still annoyed. But I am not mad at the dog next to me, only the interrupter.

I lift my nose and sniff the air. I still smell dogs. I do not smell Ilana’s fear. It has all disappeared.

“Miki,” Ilana calls. I leave the gate and come to her. “What do you think? Should we take the old man home?”

I wag my tail and try to lick her exposed leg.

Sarah laughs, “I guess that’s a yes.”

Ilana smiles, “I guess so.”

“Come here Smokey,” the lady who came to the car calls. The dog comes over and she hugs him. “You be a good boy. You’re going home now.” He wags his tail and snorts.

“Are you going to keep his name?” The other lady asks.

“I was thinking about Scottie,” Ilana says. “It sounds similar to Smokey so I think it won’t be too hard of a change.”

“Plus now you’ll have Mika and Scottie like from the movie Euro Trip,” Sarah adds.

“True,” Ilana says.

Everyone laughs.

Sarah takes Scottie’s leash and Ilana takes mine. We all walk out to the car and Ilana opens the back. There’s a crate in there I didn’t even notice before. “Up,” she says to Scottie. He jumps up and into the crate. “Good boy.”

Next she lets me into the back and buckles me in. Then she and Sarah spend some time talking outside.

I lean over the seat and try to look at Scottie through the holes in his crate. “I’ve decided that I’ll share Ilana with you. But understand that she was mine first and that will always be the way it is.”

“No worries,” Scottie says, “I’ll just be happy to be home.”

“Good. Then you’re going to love it. I bet we can even get some fries out of them when they stop for lunch.”

“Fries?”

“Oh boy, have you been missing out!”

Ilana and Sarah get in the car and soon we’re passing houses and trees again. I keep a look out for a food building. I’m sure they’re going to stop. Scottie has so much to learn and I get to teach him. I finally have a friend again. This is going to be great!