Rolling in Dead Things
-----------------------------
Rolling in Dead Things
My dog got
off his lead this morning. When he
finally decided to stop running around and return home, he was wearing a lei
comprised of grass, something resembling a dead rodent, and feces from an
unknown species. Fortunately, it was all
coagulated in his choke collar, so I removed that and tied him to a tree to
hose him off.
What is it,
I wondered, gagging on the smell, that entices dogs to roll in dead
things? Growing up, I had a dog that
tried to roll in the rancid grass clippings swarming with flies in the back
alleyway. Another dog’s poop…she loved
it. Dead possum? Oh boy!!
She was a small dog and easy to manage on-lead, so we avoided much of
the fur sticking goo she was desperate to coat herself in.
Nowadays, I have three dogs. And they’re quite large. Upon encountering a dead squirrel or
flattened snake on the road, any of the three will drop a front leg and put rub
a shoulder in it, trying to coat themselves with the stench.
No wonder
cat lovers ridicule those of us with dogs.
No wonder some people choose to keep their animals outdoors. I can’t do that. My dogs…all three of them…are my constant
companions . I couldn’t make it through a
day without them.
So before I
pass judgment on my smelly friends, I guess I’ll take a look at myself. Some might look at me and wonder why I choose
the write the things I write. Why would
I opt to write about murder, about crime, about adultery? These aren’t things one would choose to
discuss in polite society. These aren’t
things we normally encounter except on daytime TV, primetime crime dramas, or
on the news. Yet I delve into these
topics with relish, thinking up new ways to torture, kill, poison, or maim
someone. It’s my own method of “rolling
in dead things,” if you will….except no one ties me to a tree and hoses me off
when I’m done.
My dog is
fresh and clean now. He’s inside,
resting on his cushion and hating me for taking away his smelly necklace. And me…I’m fixing to roll in my own dead
things today.