Tough Love (a boxer story)

[Emily_7538]

I wrote this one before I became a BW member. It is a bit long, but I hope you all like it. I think I might start writing a series using the same characters and everything. What all your all's opinion on that? Would you like reading them? Well, here is Tough Love:

"Oh boy!" Samson smiled as he looked at the living room calendar. "Look, Samantha, today is the day before Thanksgiving and do you know what that means?"

"Yeah, stressed out owners who do nothing all day but cook and yell at us." Samantha frowned at her perspective.

"NO! It means that we can lick the bowls when they get finished using them. I can hardly wait to lick the sides of the pecan pie bowl. All that fatty goodness makes me tingle from head to toe. Besides, I've waited seven doggy years since the last Thanksgiving for this day and there is no way that I am going to miss it." Samson grinned from ear to ear.

Samson was a male boxer. He was fawn with a black mask and white markings. He was exactly 25 inches at the shoulders. He was a very active but ignorant dog. Everywhere Samson went; he left saliva.

Samantha was also a boxer. She was brindle with white markings and approximately 23 inches at the shoulders. Samantha stayed calm, was intelligent, and kept her slobber in her mouth. Although she was fond of Samson, she tried not to let it show.

Samson watched the family rush into the kitchen. The family consisted of Sasha (Mom), Devin (Dad), and Hollie (daughter.) Sasha took her place at the stove while the rest of the family peeled the potatoes that would soon go into the potato salad.

"That's our cue," Samson announced happily.

"You know what? Why don't you go on without me," Samantha declared, noticing that Samson was already on his merry way.

Samson sat down in the middle of the floor; the most noticeable place in the kitchen. As he watched each potato being detached from its skin, Samson tried not to drool, as he knew it was an undesirable quality. However, instinctively, drool rushed into his mouth, overflowing it.

"Eww, Sam!" Hollie remarked as she noticed the saliva running out of his mouth. Sasha turned to examine his wrongdoing and also saw the drool.

"SAMSON!" Sasha screamed. This hurt Samson's feelings because he had never been yelled at before in his brief, gluttony life.

"Sasha hates me! She really hates me! I am going to leave this horrible, unloving family and move into a cardboard box," Samson cried as he walked out of the kitchen and into the doggy room.

"I wouldn't advise it. I doubt someone of your intellectual level could even find a box, let alone hunt for food," Samantha teased.
Normally, Samson would get offended and reply with a sarcastic remark, but all he said was, "I guess you're right."

Samson decided all the stress was too much to handle, so he just went to sleep. He was soon awakened by the annoying sound of a can opener. Forgetting all about what happened earlier, he walked into the kitchen to investigate the source of the noise.

Samson searched for the object that woke him from his peaceful slumber. He scanned the room from left to right. In the middle of the kitchen, Sasha stood with a chicken can in her hand. Suddenly, the noise he had heard before became the least of his concerns.

"CHICKEN! I absolutely love chicken. I must find a way to get it," Samson thought to himself.

Samson only knew a few tricks- sit, lie down, and roll over. He did them all several times until he was dizzy, trying to get her attention. Sasha didn't even notice. She emptied the can and threw it away.

"NNNOOOO!" Samson squeaked as he watched his beloved chicken can being thrown away. "I know what I must do. I will save the can. I’ll be the hero and celebrate its retrieval by licking it."

He approached the garbage bin. When he peered inside, he noticed his precious can sitting on top.

"Operation ‘Save Can’ is now in action," Samson announced.
Samson stuck his big, slobbery face into the garbage can. He promptly grabbed the can with his teeth and tried sneaking into the dog room with it, attempting to avoid notice.

Sasha turned around right before Samson had gone around the corner. She became furious with her misbehaving canine. She caught him as he went around the corner and yelled at him. Memories of the earlier scolding similar to this one came to mind.

Erratic thoughts raced through his head. "That proves it! She really does hate me and will never love me again. She will turn my beloved family against me.” Suddenly, another thought popped into his mind. “Oh no! What about Samantha? Will she turn against me? How could this be happening? This shouldn't happen to a dog," Sadly, he walked onto his bed.

"Samantha, they hate me," Samson cried to his favorite companion.

"What did you do this time?" Samantha asked sarcastically.

"The only thing I did wrong was fall in love with chicken," Samson cried so hard that he couldn’t finish the story.

"Let me guess- you got a chicken can out of the garbage, they caught you, and you got scolded," Samantha hypothesized from the noises she heard in the other room.

"Yeah, but what’s wrong with that?" Samson asked.

"Well, the owners don’t like it when we get in the garbage. They think that we will make a mess all over the floor," Samantha replied.

"Why would they yell at me me? They must hate me!" Samson whined pathetically.

"THEY DON'T!" Samantha screamed, annoyed by his attitude.

"Now you hate me," Samson cried. Samantha didn't say anything, since she was afraid of making the situation worse.

The next day, Samson woke up to the sound of doors opening and closing. He looked around and Samantha was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, I guess she really does hate me!" Samson whined. He did not want to go into the kitchen where Samantha was. As a matter of fact, he didn't want to go anywhere else in the house. So, he just sat there.

In about an hour, Samson became bored. He looked around for anything that would entertain him. There were toys in a basket on the left hand side of the room. He walked over to it and peered inside. There was a whole collection of toys: ropes, balls, squeaky toys, and stuffed animals. He picked up a stuffed kangaroo and brought it over to his bed.

Samson remembered the times that he and Samantha played with the kangaroo together when they were young. “Precious memories,” he whispered as he wiped the tears off his face.

The more Samson tried to play with the kangaroo, the more depressed he became. The kangaroo was a mark of their friendship and since Samantha hated Samson, the toy was void. Consequently, Samson put the toy back in the box.

Samson frowned as he lay there. He was so bored. In about 30 minutes, Samson heard the doggy door squeak.

“Samantha?” Samson asked, full of hope.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Samantha answered with a weary voice.

“Where were you and what’s wrong?” Samson asked.

“I was sitting in the dining room while company was eating, but it didn’t matter where I was. It mattered where you were. I kept looking beside of me, hoping that somehow you would be there. I mean, every Thanksgiving you were usually right beside me, begging for food. It wasn’t right for me to yell at you and for that, I am sorry.” Samantha apologized and asked, “Would you like to come out to the dining room with me?”

“So, you don’t hate me,” Samson asked.

“No, silly, I just got tired of all your crying,” Samantha laughed. Samson celebrated by jumping up and down and licking Samantha until she was dripping with slobber. All of the sudden, he stopped.

“What’s wrong?” Samantha asked.

“Well, the owners still hate me,” Samson complained, trying not to cry.

“It’s okay, they will get over it,” Samantha replied.

“I hope your right,” Samson answered.

The next day, Samson woke up to Samantha’s growling. He looked up and noticed that she was still asleep. Then, Samantha started barking and moving her feet, as if she were running.

“Those darn rabbits,” Samson joked. Samantha woke up.

“Wha, wha, what happened?” Samantha asked confusingly.

“You were chasing rabbits,” Samson was now laughing his head off.

“I almost caught it, too,” Samantha smiled.

A silence grew between the two animals. Not a peep was made, and all they did was stare at each other.

The silence was broken when Devin woke up. Samantha wanted to greet him, but she had so much fun with Samson that she didn’t want to leave him. She decided to go out anyway.

“Look, Samson, I have to go and greet him. I’m sorry,” Samantha said as she walked out of the dog room. Samson sat there, feeling betrayed because Samantha had deserted him for a mere human.

Five minutes later, Samson heard Devin calling his name. He did not know if it was safe or not. He thought Devin was going to ‘correct’ him like Sasha had previously done. He decided to take the risk.

“Samson,” Devin called. Nervously, Samson walked towards him. “Since you stayed out of the way while company was here, you get…” Devin stopped, building anticipation. He reached his hand into a bag and pulled out a pig ear.

“OH MAN! IS THAT A PIG EAR?” Samson howled. He started jumping up and down and licking everything in sight.

“THEY LOVE ME! THEY REALLY DO LOVE ME!” Samson exclaimed.

“Calm down,” Devin laughed, handing him the pig ear. With a feeling of joy, Samson lied down and started chewing on it.

“Looks like they don’t hate you,” Samantha declared.

“Nope, they sure don’t,” Samson replied, grinning from ear to ear. “Being a dog is the cat’s meow!”

[MxRxSth]

Wow Emily!

You did a fabulous job on this and thank you so much for posting it.

I love the fact that you did use the name Samantha like I said before. Even before You and I knew about Samson and Samantha!

Very well written.

[Gen G. :)]

You write very very well! Reading your story, I could imagine Samson and Samantha talking and goofing around! Poor Samson, he feels so unloved, but at the end he finally realizes everyone loves him as he is!

Is that story based on something that really happened (besides the dogs talking, unless you have very special furbabies )? Oh well, you should definitely keep on writing about their adventures, it is so sweet!!!

[Emily_7538]

Originally Posted by Gen G. :)

You write very very well! Reading your story, I could imagine Samson and Samantha talking and goofing around! Poor Samson, he feels so unloved, but at the end he finally realizes everyone loves him as he is!

Is that story based on something that really happened (besides the dogs talking, unless you have very special furbabies )? Oh well, you should definitely keep on writing about their adventures, it is so sweet!!!

Thanks both of you for the nice comments.

I came up with the story by basing the personality of the two dogs on my two dogs, Samson and my mixed breed Lady. Then, I came up with a plot and started writing.

[crowpete]

That was wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing. If you do keep writing please let us read them

[ZOE*BOXER]

Great job.

[Coco'smommy]

I enjoyed that I thought you did a good job.

[Emily_7538]

Thank you, everyone. I am working on another story right now. I am writing the first one in the series.

[Gen G. :)]

Yay!! Can't wait to read the new stories!