Minnie lifted her head off the couch cushion ever so slightly, and said, "Yeah kid, what do you want?"
"I was wondering, is this Heaven?"
Minnie turned her head sideways for a second, and said, "Why in the world would you think that?"
"Well, I've only been here a couple months but there's some things I just don't understand."
Minnie sighed, "Such as?"
"Well, the yard is incredible, it's all fenced in, so no mean animals can get in. It's full of trees, and shade, and plenty of places to poop and hide it. And there's tons of squirrels. That doesn't do much for me, but Dumb Ass seems to love them"
"Dumb Ass?" Minnie said quizzically, "Do you mean our man owner?"
"Oh no," Little Bit said, "I mean the boy dog".
"Oh," Minnie laughed, "You mean Snickers. His name isn't Dumb Ass, that's just what the man owner calls him sometimes when he gets frustrated with him."
"Oops, sorry about that, I just assumed that was his name."
Minnie laughed again, "Here watch this. Hey, Snickers, I think I see a squirrel on the bird feeder."
Snickers jumped up, and ran for the door, and started scratching frantically, "Squirrel, squirrel, squirrel, squirrel."
I jumped up from my computer, and yelled, "Just a second Dumb Ass, I'll let you out!"
As the door opened, Snickers rushed out, barking like crazy, and the hunt was on. Less than a minute later, there was a frantic scratching at the door again.
"Ahhhh," I yelled, "Just a second, I'll let you back in."
As Snickers came in, he headed for the couch toward Minnie and Little Bit. "Hey Minnie, there weren't any squirrels out there! What are you talking about."
Minnie just sighed and said, "They must have heard you coming Snick, they know how ferocious you are."
Snickers slumped toward his pillow and laid back down, disappointed in the lost opportunity.
Minnie turned to Little Bit and said, "That trick never gets old. Ferocious? The next squirrel he catches will be the first. OK, now your question, is this Heaven? Why do you ask?"
Little Bit was still mesmerized by the squirrel adventure, but got her thoughts back, "Well, there's something I don't get. I could be wrong, but it seems like every time you do something good, we all get treats."
Minnie looked back at Little Bit, and said, "Yeah, that's correct. And?"
"Well, it also seems that every time Dumb Ass, I mean Snickers, does something bad, we all get a treat."
Minnie smiled, "Yeah, it's great isn't it?"
Little Bit shook her head and muttered, "I don't get it."
Minnie sat up a little and said, "Look kid, don't try to understand it. Just enjoy it. I'm good, we all get a treat. He's bad, we all get a treat. You just have to play the game. Have you seen what I do each night? I wait at the front window for the man owner to get home, and then I run to the back door, and when he comes in, I do the shake. He loves the shake. He gets all excited and calls me his baby, and rubs my back, and gives me a treat. And of course you and Snickers get treats too. You just have to figure out how to play the game."
"So is this Heaven?"
Minnie looked wistfully away and said, "No, it's not Heaven kid, but it's close. Listen kid, there's been something I've been meaning to talk to you about. I really don't have a lot of time left, and there's some things you need to know."
Little Bit's ears pointed straight up, "What do you mean, where are you going?"
"Easy kid, it's OK. But there's a few things you need to know. You have to look after Snick, he may not be the brightest bulb, but he's a good boy, he has a huge heart, and he's really going to miss me. You need to take care of our owner's kids when they come around, they don't show up every day, but when they do, they'll spoil you with toys and treats and lots of belly rubs. Look forward to those days. You need to figure out a routine for when our man owner gets home at night. You can't use the shake, that's my move, you have to come up with your own. Maybe that little dance step you do, he seems to like that. And most of all, take care of our lady owner, she's the one who takes us places, feeds us, cleans up after us, she does it all. Look after her."
Little Bit's eyes bugged out, her ears pointed even higher, and she started squeaking, "You can't leave? I can't do this on my own!"
Minnie rested her head again, "Sure you can kid, I wasn't much older than you when I got here. I became the Princess. They treat me like I'm royalty, and they'll do the same for you. You know kid, you might be right, this place just might be Heaven. Heaven here on earth. I'm going to miss this place."
