The Mystery of the Doggy Door

The Adventures of Lana Dog:  The Mystery of the Doggy Door

    The morning started as most others start.  Daddy and Mommy did what most Daddies and Mommies always do.  They made breakfast for her hairless brother and her neurotic sister.  Her bowl was filled and she was let out into the backyard.  She found it her duty to bark diligently at the neighbor’s funny-looking dog.  Daddy yelled something about a cat, but she didn’t know what a cat was so decided he must not be talking to her. 
    Mommy came to the door.  She told Lana Dog it was time to come inside.  Lana Dog went back inside and ignored the yelp of her sister, Sophie.  It wasn’t her fault that Sophie was so small and was standing where Lana Dog wanted to be.  She watched Daddy put Mad Max, her hairless brother, into the big strap-in chair.
    They called it a high chair.  She hadn’t figured out why he got to sit in a chair at the table yet.  Maybe one day she’d figure it out, but for now she thought she’d just reap the rewards.  Mad Max wasn’t the neatest eater.  Lana Dog circled the dining room table.  Sometimes it was best to pretend she wasn’t trying to get Mad Max to give her bites.
    Mad Max was having pancakes this morning.  Mommy had cut them up into small bites.  It was always great when Mommy and Daddy let Mad Max feed himself.  He was always willing to share with Lana Dog.  She was carefully cleaning Mad Max’s hand when Mommy caught on.  Lana Dog was just helping.  She tried to tell Mommy, but Mommy doesn’t seem to understand what she says sometimes.
    Lana Dog went to find Daddy.  Maybe Daddy would understand.  She found him in Mad Max’s room.  He was packing that bag they always take with them when they leave.  Lana Dog had heard it called a diaper bag, but she hadn’t seen anybody put the bag on Mad Max.  She thought maybe they were wrong, and it was supposed to be something else.  She decided that wasn’t as important as Daddy packing the bag.  That meant they were going out, without Lana Dog.
    Mommy and Daddy met on the stairs.  Mommy was coming up and Daddy going down.  Daddy told Mommy to have a good day at work, and Mommy told Daddy to have fun at the Aquarium.  Lana Dog knew it.  They were leaving, and she had to stay home.  Bummer.
    After Mommy, Daddy, and Mad Max had gone, the front door opened.  Lana Dog thought maybe Daddy had come back.  She was in her special room.  She had her cuddle blanket, and the walls had narrow slits so she could see out, but Mommy said she had to stay in her room because she sometimes forget to behave while Mommy and Daddy were gone.
    But enough about that, DADDY’S HOME!!!  She stood up, and started to bark.  It’s hard to stand on the cuddle blanket sometimes.  It slides.  Daddy’s—
    But it wasn’t Daddy.  It’s Uncle Joshie.  Oh, yeah.  Uncle Joshie always plays with her.  But what was Uncle Joshie doing here if Mommy and Daddy and Mad Max were gone?  Doesn’t matter Lana Dog thought.  Uncle Joshie will let me out of the room and we can PLAY!
    “Hey, Lana Dog.  How’s my girl?”  Uncle Joshie opened the door and Lana Dog pounced.  It’s hard to pounce when you are a Weimaraner like Lana Dog, but she tries.  “Oooff.  Lana Dog, get down.  We have to get in the car.  Do you want to go play with your cousins?"  Uncle Joshie asked as he got Lana Dog’s leash.  “Let’s go, girl.”
    A ride in the car with Uncle Joshie.  Yeah.  This is fun thought Lana Dog.  Uncle Joshie let her ride in the front seat AND hold her head out the window.  Mommy hardly ever did.  When they got to Uncle Joshie’s house, Lana Dog ran to the house.  Aunt Fe let her in.  “Hey Lana Dog.  Did you come to play with Apollo and Bella?” Aunt Fe asked when she leaned down to give her a hello scratch.  Lana Dog barked once and raced to find her cousins.  Apollo and Bella were under the kitchen table.  When they saw Lana Dog, they leapt up to run and bark with her. 
    Lana Dog chased Apollo through the house with Bella chasing her.  Uncle Joshie opened the back door and Lana Dog skidded to a stop when the door swallowed Apollo.  She looked at the door.  It had a funny hole in it with a flappy thing.  She looked at Uncle Joshie.  She looked back at the door and watched as Bella was eaten.  Tipping her head to the left, she considered the flappy thing.  She looked at Uncle Joshie again.  Did he realize the door had eaten her cousins?  Why wasn’t he doing something?
    Uncle Joshie put his hands on his hips and looked back at Lana Dog.  “Don’t you want to go outside, Lana Dog?”  Lana Dog barked.  Outside Rocks!  She waited for Uncle Joshie to open the door.  He waited for Lana Dog to use the doggy door.  Lana Dog looked at the door.  She looked at Uncle Joshie.  She looked at the door.  Lana Dog barked again. 
    Uncle Joshie got down in the floor with Lana Dog.  “What’s the matter, girl?  You just push through.  Like this.”  Uncle Joshie put his hand through the flappy thing.  Lana Dog barked.  Didn’t he know he was getting eaten?  Uncle Joshie pulled his hand back and it looked okay.  Lana Dog sniffed Uncle Joshie’s hand, just in case.  Just then the flappy thing moved again, and in came Apollo and Bella.  Lana Dog forgot about the flappy thing because she had to run after her cousins.
    Later that night, when Lana Dog got home, she tried to tell Mommy and Daddy about the flappy door, but they couldn’t understand.  They kept thinking she needed to go outside.  Lana Dog finally gave up.  It was okay that they didn’t know about the flappy thing since they didn’t have one in their door.