Interview With Siren

Interview With Siren

Suzanne Marsh

Big, round, soulful brown eyes stare at me as if to say: “Where is my treat? I don’t want a bone, I

want what you are eating.” I surely could use a treat right about NOW. My name is

Siren, I live with my parents in Texas. I have three sisters, Millie, Curly and CeCe.

Ce Ce is a pain in the neck; she is six years older than I am. Millie is the youngest, then

Curly and me. I have learned to live with them. Millie and I go outside together, usually

without Ce Ce and Curly. We play and chase squirrels, outside of course, we have toys to play

with inside, my personal favorite is a squeaking cactus, which my mommy and daddy brought

back from Colorado.

I remember the day that mommy and daddy brought me home. I was so scared, I shook

the entire way home. You see, the first people who raised me from a puppy did not want me.

Instead of taking me to a shelter, they dumped me in a parking lot to fend for myself. I roamed

the parking lot for three weeks before they caught me. Then I found myself with a woman who

was trying to find me a new home. I don’t understand what I did wrong to find myself running

around a parking lot. Why did those people leave me there by myself? Mommy and Daddy

came to meet me with Curly, who was not happy to meet me. She is a green-eyed monster at

times. I had no idea there was already a pack, made up of Lucky, a chocolate lab, Curly, and

now me. Curly taught me to play; I had never played with other dogs. Curly is still my

friend, and we still play on occasion.

Mommy is my best friend; she still plays with me. I learned to talk to her, or she learned

to talk dog to me; I have not figured out which. I began with one word, NOW, and it seemed

to get very good results. I wanted food NOW, made that happen. Snacks are plentiful at our

house. Popcorn is yummy. Mommy and Daddy are great; they make special food for us,

no crummy dog food for us, we eat very well. Begging at the table is taboo, so we get

the popcorn. I think that is Daddy's way of giving us a treat without our begging for it. My first

trip was to Colorado. The only thing I saw was the gray rocks. I had my head out the window,

wind was blowing my hair, and by the time I got out of the car, my hair was standing on end. Daddy

is a good driver. Curly and I shared the back seat.

My next trip was an adventure. Daddy packed the car; he put our crates in the trunk.

Mommy did a great deal of mumbling about four dogs in a car for fifteen hundred miles. I

did not understand exactly what she meant, but it was a very long ride. Mommy stayed in the

car while Daddy went to get food. That BBQ chicken sure smelled good! My sisters and I

got a small piece of chicken. Potty breaks were frequent. I remember Daddy pulling over and

letting the four of us stretch our legs. Then we would return to the car with Daddy, and I thought

we were never going to get there. There was a place called New York where we stayed for

a week.

That week, we learned about elevators, how to get on and off. CeCe got her paw

stuck, but Daddy got it out for her. The next day, we all went to see a nice lady who liked dogs.

She smelled old but friendly. Daddy brought us in one at a time to meet her. She smiled as she

held me. Our next trip involved our crates; we were placed there so we would not cause a

commotion. Our sister Karen was married. No one noticed us as our humans were so busy

with Karen. It was quite a let-down for us; I would have behaved at the wedding. Karen is very happy, I could tell from voice.

Our hotel room was on the third floor, and we watched daddy and mommy and wondered why

mommy was putting things into the duffle bag. Daddy was watching something that seemed

to get a reaction from Mommy. All I see is gray. I wish I could see other colors. How nice it

would be to see color and understand where we are going. Mommy had everything ready to

go. We left that nice warm motel. At the next motel we stopped at, we slept at the foot of

mommy and daddy’s bed. There was a loud crash, and we four began to bark, trying to warn

Daddy, something was wrong. Daddy, jumped out of bed, to his dismay, it was a garbage

truck. My sisters and I don’t like garbage trucks; the air brakes hurt our ears. We arrived

home. It was a great trip; we had the windows open and our heads out. There is nothing

like that feeling of cool air on our faces.

Not all people are friendly, like we dogs. I don’t understand why some don’t

like dogs, like the person who used to visit. She dislikes dogs; we smelled her, she had

our enemy, a cat. We don’t like cats at all, they are sneaky, not like dogs, who, upon

occasion, get into trouble. The very thought of a cat in our midst is distasteful. The last cat

that attempted to come into the yard, my sister Millie chased back out. She was pleased

with herself to say the very least.

My humans are good to us. When it is cold, my sisters and I curl up on Daddy. He has

a soft belly. Speaking of belly, it is almost time for dinner, daddy is already getting it started

while mommy helps him. Mommy is my friend. When the weather is good, she takes us for

walks.

All in all, my life as a dog is a good one. I am happy with the pack I belong to.

I don’t think there is anything else I could ask for. I have a bed and a blanket to keep me warm.

I am glad mommy and daddy came to get me. When I truly needed human help, I am now

eight years old or fifty-six years in human years. I am a happy dog!