Must Love Dogs

"Oh, my. Is is really that bad?" she asked finding it hard to believe walking a dog could be that difficult.

"Well, just imagine you're riding along and something startles Rex. He bolts in front of the bike and just like that, he'd pulled you over and down into the road—hard. Plus, if you did fall and let go..."

"Oh! Don't even say that. He's the last link I have to my late husband. If I lose him..."

He was afraid she might start tearing up again so he said, "No worries. I'll keep him under control for you."

She walked him to the door and said, "This is really nice of you. And thank you again for finding him for me. I was just so scared, you know?"

He told her again she was very welcome. Shea was still sitting for him on the front steps when he came out. "Wow. Shea is really amazing," she said.

"Yes, she is," he agreed with her. "So I'll be here at 6:00 tomorrow morning if that's okay?"

"I can't wait!" she said. "Oh, I almost forgot. What did you tell me your name was again?"

"It's Curt...Grimes. And you?" he asked.

"Oh, sorry. I've been so rattled since Rex ran off. I'm Elsa. Elsa Reese. My father loved the movie Casablanca and he wanted to name me Ilsa after Ingrid Bergman's character but my mom convinced him to chance the I to an E. But you're way too young to have seen Casablanca so you probably don't even know what I'm talking about, right?"

"So are you telling me this might not be the beginning of a beautiful friendship, kid?" he said parroting and mixing up two of the most memorable lines from the movie.

"So you have seen it. I love that movie!" she told him.

"Same here. I also loved the Maltese Falcon and several other of Bogie's movies. How about this one? 'Just put your lips together and blow'?"

Elsa laughed at his attempt to imitate a sultry Lauren Bacall in To Have and Have Not. "You're a very interesting young man, Curt Grimes."

She extended her hand and Grimes shook it saying, "It's a pleasure, Ms. Reese."

"Curt?" she asked as he hooked the leash onto Shea's collar. "I know that may be old fashioned, but I don't want any misunderstandings. I know we're just talking about walking our dogs, but I want to make sure there isn't a Mrs. Grimes in the picture. Is there?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't ask," he said as he hung is head. "I'm very sorry. I should have said something." He stood up straight and said, "Yes. Yes, there is a Mrs. Grimes."

"Well, then I don't think this might be such a good idea. I just wish you'd have mentioned this on your own."

"I think it'll be okay, Ms. Reese. I can't imagine my...mother will mind me hanging out with another woman. She might but I really doubt it."

Grimes silliness was rewarded with another beautiful smile and a laugh. "Very funny, Curt," she said trying to be offended. "You know, it's been a long time since I laughed. That was nice. Mean but nice. So thank you again." She paused and said, "Your joke was really lame, by the way, but the laughing part felt very good."

Grimes through his leg over the bike and said, "You're right, you know."

"I am?" she asked. "What about?"

"Well, even Seinfeld is out of work these days and here I am trying to be funny. I guess I should stick to doing what I know."

Elsa laughed even harder this time and said, "Okay. I can see this is going to be a lot of fun. I'm really glad we ran into each other."

Grimes smiled and said, "Me too, although I'm glad you didn't actually run into me. The way you came screaming around that curve when I first saw you made me think might just happen."

She made a face playfully indicating she was deeply offended again before smiling.

He smiled back and said, "See you tomorrow, bright and early?"

"I'm looking forward to it, Curt. Bye and thank you again so much!" She waved to him as he and Shea headed off toward their home.

It was still dark when Curt and Shea pulled up in front of Elsa's house. She must have been watching because the door opened almost as soon as Curt put down the kickstand on his bike.

"Good morning!" he told her.

"Good morning to you!" she said. "And to you, too, Miss Shea. You're such a pretty girl! Yes you are!"

"Where's Rex?" Curt asked her.

"Can't you hear him barking?" she asked. "I thought I should at least try riding with Shea alone first before we bring out my crazy psycho dog."

"Hmmm. Good thinking. Okay. Go ahead and take her around your cul de sac and get a feel for how it works."

"Okay. But first, I was kind of wondering why you ride on the left-hand side instead of the right."

"As you saw, I keep Shea to my left. That shields her from traffic and also you'll need your right hand free to operate the rear brake. You don't want to be using the front brake alone if you have to stop suddenly. Trust me on that."

"Hmmm. Good thinking," she said using his phrase. "Okay. That makes sense." She walked over to Shea and said, "Are you ready? You are? Okay, let's give this a try."

Elsa made one quick trip around the circle and said, "That was great! I see why you like this better than walking."

She got off his bike and told him she'd go get hers then bring out 'the hound from hell.'

"He's not that bad, is he?" Curt asked as she walked away.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough, right?"

Elsa parked her bike by Curt's then went in and got Rex. He came out jumping and barking his fool head off. "That's why I don't like bringing him out this early. Someone's gonna shoot me. Or him!"

"Or all of us," Grimes quipped. "Okay, once we get going, he should calm down. It's hard to bark when you're tired." Grimes took the leash from Elsa who picked up Shea's and got ready.

"I'll follow you, right?" she asked.

"Definitely. We don't need Rex thinking he's chasing another dog. I'll stay 10-15 feet ahead of you and we should be fine. You ready?"

"Ready!" she told him.

"Okay, Rex? You ready to settle down?" He was pulling at the leash, jumping, and barking all at once. Grimes shortened it up to where Rex only had about two feet of slack then gently pushed off. He needed Rex to figure out he had to follow alongside and that he needed to stay on the left near Grimes' feet.

It only took about three seconds for Rex to try and haul ass. Grimes reigned him in and Rex slowed down but only for a second. He jerked ahead again and the leash slipped giving Rex and extra 2-3 feet which he instantly used to run directly in front of the bike. Grimes couldn't let go and Rex promptly pulled him down hard directly into the pavement.

"Curt, are you okay?" she hollered. She jumped off her bike and ran over to him. "Oh, my goodness. You're bleeding!" she said.

Grimes forced himself to sit up and saw his elbow was pretty scraped up and said to Elsa, "Tis but a flesh wound." He didn't tell his shoulder hurt like hell.

She laughed so hard she covered her mouth and said, "I love Monte Python movies!" She knelt down and said, "Seriously, are you okay?"

Curt held up the leash still in his hand and said proudly, "Let it be known I did not let go!" as Rex yapped and pulled and acted the fool. "And that is exactly why I didn't want you to try this with him by yourself."

"Maybe we should try something else," Elsa suggested as he got back on his feet. Rex had never stopped pulling but Grimes was not to be deterred.

"Oh, no. It's now my life's mission to break his will or tire him out so much he can't fight back. We're riding this bike." He saddled up and using one arm pointed forward, "Wagons...Hoh!"

This time he had a death grip on the leash and Rex got the drill. He was soon prancing happily next to the bike right where he needed to be. He still wanted to look back every few seconds to see his 'mommy' but all in all, he was doing pretty well for a first-ever ride/walk. When they got back in about 20 minutes later, Rex was panting heavily and the fight was out of him. No jumping, no barking, no nothing. Just a happy tail wag and a lot of heavy breating.

"Good boy, Rex!" Grimes said as he pet him all over as his reward. Then he went over and rewarded Shea, too.

"Oh, I should have done that. I know better. Cesar says 'exercise, discipline, and affection.' I forgot the affection part.

She saw Curt's elbow was caked with blood and told him, "You've gotta come in and let me clean that up for you. After all, it's my fault it happened."

"Well, today is Saturday and I don't have to be at work so I think I'll accept your offer." The elbow hurt, but it wasn't serious. Grimes just wanted an excuse to get to know Elsa a little better so he agreed to let her take care of him.

"You can bring Shea inside, too, if you like," she said as she opened the door and let Rex go in. "Wow!" she said. "Look at him! He's exhausted." He went straight for his water bowl then laid down on a small rug nearby. Shea also took a long drink and waited for Grimes to tell her what to do. He sat her next to him while Elsa went to get some peroxide and a bandage.

She gently cleaned off the caked blood and asked Grimes, "So what is it you do for a living, Curt? You're not a dog trainer are you?" She was obviously teasing.

"No, not hardly. I'm a software engineer. I design computer networks and such."

"Oh, that sounds fascinating. I'm not totally computer illiterate, but I'm pretty close."

"Well, if you ever have any troubles, just let me know. I'll be happy to take a look."

She put on some ointment then the bandaid and said, "I'm already indebted to you for helping me find my dog and showing me how to run him. If I get any further in the hole I'm gonna have to make you dinner or something to pay you back." She stood up and said, "You're all set. Good as new. Well, almost."

"Gee, that was fast. Well, thank you for patching me up, Ms. Reese."

"I'm not that old, am I?" she said flashing one of her amazing smiles.

"Hardly," he said covering his bases just in case. "But...how old in what context?"

"You keep calling me Mrs. Reese. I prefer Elsa."

"Oh, okay. But for the record, I was calling you Mizzzz Reese. You know, just in case you're a hardcore feminist or something."

She laughed again and said, "I'm all for equal pay and equal rights, but I very much like being a woman and you'll never hear me say men and women are the same."

"No, we most definitely are not, are we?" he said pleasantly. "Well, I guess Shea and I will be going."

"Thank you so much again, Curt. This was just really nice. I feel like I've become a hermit or some kind of recluse since Jerry passed away and getting out has become rather unusual for me."

"I'm so sorry. I know you mentioned that yesterday. I meant to offer my condolences."

"It's fine, Curt. I understand how hard it is to know what to say. It's been almost 18 months now and my world finally quit spinning. Rex was really mostly Jerry's dog and while I always liked him, I just never felt like I needed to really do anything with him, you know? Jerry always fed him, walked him or played fetch. But ever since, he's been my best friend."

"I can't imagine going through what you've experienced, Elsa. I recently broke up with someone I thought I was in love with and that was hard enough. I can't even guess what it would be like to lose the person you love after being married for... Sorry, I'll just stop talking."

"Twelve years," she said wistfully. "He was a good guy and I do miss him. But life is all about adapting to change, you know? I've always preferred stability and tried to keep everything in nice, tidy little boxes. Just doing something like this is really kind of living on the edge for me so you can see what a sheltered life I've led. Doing this today has been really good for me, Curt. And...a lot of fun."

"So same Bat-time, same Bat-location tomorrow?" he said as he got Shea up.

"You're very funny. Just what the doctor ordered. I love to laugh and I was beginning to think I'd forgotten how."

"Well, I'm always good for a laugh but you don't have to stare at my face!"

Elsa laughed again and said, "I'm sure a lot of young women find it very hard not to stare. You're a very nice looking young man, Curt."

"Well, thank you...Elsa, but I'm the one finding it hard not to stare. In case no one's told you recently, you're very pretty."

"Okay, that's enough with the jokes," she told him. "And didn't you just say you need to go home?" She was clearly flattered though, and Curt could see it in her reaction.

"I don't actually need to go home, but I probably should. I'm guessing you've seen more than enough of me for one day."

She stood there staring at him then realized what she was doing and shook her head. "Oh, um...right. So, I'll let you go."

For the next three weeks, Curt showed up at her door at 6:00am like clockwork. Rex was not only now able to trot alongside Elsa without difficulty, he was behaving so much better thanks to the daily release of all his pent-up energy.

At the end of another weekend ride Elsa said, "I can't believe what a difference this exercise makes. Rex hasn't torn anything up or even...torn around the house. I just wish I could get him to behave like Shea."

"I'd be willing to teach him how if you'd like."

"Oh, don't be silly. You've already done more than enough."

"No, don't you be silly. Since Shea came into my life I've learned I like being around dogs as much I've ever enjoyed anything. So I'd be happy to do it. Do you have any little treats in the house by any chance?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. Want me to bring them out?"

Two minutes later Curt was showing Elsa how to get Rex to obey commands.

"Okay, first thing is put a treat in your hand and close your fist. Let him smell it but don't let him have it until he does what you want. However, we'll start by rewarding him every time he gets close to sitting. The slightest crouch or squat gets the treat. Nothing else does. Then he has to get closer to a sit to get the treat and so on."

In less than three minutes, Rex was sitting. He not only got his treat, both of them heaped praise on him. They repeated the behavior over and over then started working on 'stay.' That was much simpler than 'sit' and Rex could do both with five minutes.

"Wow! That's so easy. I don't know I never did that before. What else can we do?"

"Let's see if we can get him to heel. That's the hardest of the basic commands because dogs don't naturally want to walk right next to you. So we'll put the lead—or leash if you prefer—on his collar and start the reward process whenever he does what we want. You want his nose to be at the back of your leg and never let him walk ahead of you."

"Because you're the pack leader?" Elsa guessed.

"You really do watch The Dog Whisperer, don't you?" he teased. "I didn't want to say anything before, but I recommend you never let Rex go in our out ahead of you through any door. Make him sit. Then you walk in or out and only then call him out. Dogs love the discipline. It's like a game for them but a game with rules. Oh, and never lay on the floor and let him on top of you."

"Dominance, right?" she correctly guessed again.

Rex made a small amount of progress on heeling, but that was going to take a lot of effort. Curt had Elsa work on 'sit/stay' commands and she was almost giddy with happiness over the results. "I love this!" she said when they finished up for the morning.

He walked her to the door then stopped. It looked like she was building up her courage so he stood there and waited for her to speak.

"Curt? I was wondering. Um...well, you've done so much for me, I really do feel like I should at least...you know, maybe make dinner for you or something. I mean, if you'd even want to do that." He could tell she was actually very nervous and before he could accept her offer, she kept right on talking. "Now that I think about it, that probably sounds really crazy. I don't know why I even said that. It's just that you've been so nice and..."

"Can I bring anything?" he asked cutting her off.

"I'm sorry?" she said with a puzzled look.

"To dinner. Can I bring something? A bottle of wine? Some dessert? A Bogart movie DVD?"

"Oh, no. You don't have to do that, Curt. I can only imagine how many better things you have to do with your time. I was just trying to think of a way to repay you, but it's pretty ridiculous to think you'd want to do that." She finally took a breath and looked at Curt who'd folded his arms and cocked his head to one side indicating he was waiting for her finish.

"What?" she said. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm waiting for you to stop trying to talk yourself out of asking me have dinner with you. You see, there's actually nothing I'd rather do. So unless you changed your mind, just tell me when and I'll be here."

"Oh, well...okay. Is this evening too soon? Because if it is, we could try another day like tomorrow or even next week or whenever it's..."

"Elsa?" he said cutting her off again.

"Yes?" she replied knowing what he was doing.

"Tonight sounds perfect. Now I'd like you to tell me what time to show up, but not say anything else. Can you do that?" he said with a very friendly smile.

"Seven o'clock?" she said and stopped.

"Very nice. See you at seven. Red or white?"

"Red."

"See how easy that is?" he told her still smiling.

"For you maybe. For me it's been a very long time since I..." she was afraid to say anything else even though she knew he wasn't being mean.

"Shea? Come!" he said. "See you tonight, Elsa. Now say, 'Goodbye, Curt. See you tonight' then let me go."

"Goodbye, Curt. See you tonight."

As she watched him ride off with Shea at his side, she put her hand over her heart to see if she could actually feel it beating because it seemed like it was going to beat right out of her chest. She was so happy, confused, and scared, she let Rex bolt in ahead of her without so much as a second thought.

_____

"Hi! Come in. I'm so glad you brought Shea. Rex will enjoy the company."

"It's funny but Shea doesn't seem to care much for other dogs for some reason. She's good for a quick sniff to find out who the other dog is, then that's pretty much it."

True to form, Rex was doing everything he could to get Shea's attention, but she just laid there looking at Curt. By the time dinner was on the table, he finally gave up and laid down beside Elsa.

"Um...you don't feed him from the table, do you?" Curt asked.

Elsa winced and said, "Yes. Sometimes. That's bad too, isn't it?"

"Bad is subjective where our dogs are concerned. I let Shea sleep in my bed and that should be a big no-no for me because a lot of women don't like sharing the bed with..." He stopped talking and said, "Sorry. Too much information."

Elsa had an unusual look on her face and Curt asked her, "Did I say something wrong?"

"Oh, no. Of course not. Here, let me get you some salad."

"Elsa? You're not telling me something," he said as he handed her his salad plate.

"It's none of my business, Curt."

"What's none of your business?"

She handed him back the plate and said, "Well, you were saying how some women don't like it when a dog sleeps in the bed. I was just wondering if...I mean, I know you're not married, but is there someone...in your life who..."

"Someone who shares my bed?" he said making sure he understood.

"I feel so foolish for even asking. I don't know what's wrong with me. Sometimes I just..."

"Elsa? You're doing it again." She stopped babbling and Curt said, "No, there isn't anyone sharing my bed." He smiled until she smiled back at him then said, "Speaking of things that aren't someone's business," he began. Then he quickly added, "And no, I'm not going to ask you if anyone's sharing your bed."

Elsa almost choked on her salad. "Thank God!" she said as she swallowed the bite.

Curt kept smiling as he asked her, "I was wondering though, if you've started dating again. Keeping in mind, of course, that really is none of my business."