Bark Anything

Bark Anything

Remember the movie Say Anything? It's part of what made John Cusack into a star, and it includes a wonderful scene of obsessive teen love in which Cusack stands outside Ione Skye's house with a boom box held over his head, a testimony to his love.

Well, the other night I got to play a supporting role in the dog version of that. Call it Bark Anything. Drake hates water. He won't step in a stream, has leapt up into the air when he accidentally got a paw wet, and will fight me rather than go out in the rain to pee. He locks his legs and tries to stay on the porch. Even if I cover him with the umbrella rather than me, he won't go.

He won't go, that is, unless it is to see Emma. Emma was one of our old dog's dogfriends. She's a half-pit bull, half-black lab bundle of love that I met when she was just a meatloaf. I'll tell the story of how Drake and Emma met later, but for now, an example of his love. We were out on the final walk of the evening. It was a gray and cloudy day, and it had been raining off and on all day.

During the walk, it started raining. Drake's usual response to rain when we're already out in the world is to pee quickly, scowl at me, and then sprint for home. However, the rain started right when our walk led us in front of Emma's house.

Instead of pee, scowl, and sprint, Drake looked his legs, staring through the rain at Emma's door. He fought me to stay still so long I swear to God I heard "In Your Eyes" playing in my head.

Bark Anything.