Being Natural

One afternoon the Dukes Girls were passing by just as Red Dog returned from a short walk. Red Dog carried something in his mouth and it didn't take me long to figure out what it was. I heard Maggie Dukes cry:

"Weeeeeooooooooooooo! What's that dog gotten in to?"

It was just that in the woods that day, Red Dog had found a dead, rotting raccoon that smelled terrible to human noses but, to him, smelled like Heaven itself. He had wallowed in the raccoon's stinking corpse, and now he was carrying it home. Maybe he wanted to give it to me as a present. This is something a country dog will do, even a good one like Red Dog!

Maggie picked up a handful of gravel and threw it at Red Dog. Mattie ran behind a tree, holding her stomach. Rene hit her fist in her hand and screamed that Red Dog should go away.

Red Dog couldn't understand why everyone was angry. One of Maggie's gravels hit him on the ear, hurting his pride so much that he dropped the raccoon and ran toward the house.

I understood why everyone was so angry. I could smell Red Dog's prize a hundred feet away!

Yet, also, I understood why Red Dog was so hurt and confused. I wanted to hug and pat him when he came onto the porch. However, I was a human like Maggie, Mattie and Rene...

Holding my nose, I ran around the house's corner. Seeing me run away, Red Dog's feelings were hurt again.

Red Dog was just being natural that day. But, so was I.