Mavis​​ Duk​e Hinton, ​Author​​​

**Note: Sarge's thoughts are in italics**

“Hey, Granddawg, when are you gonna open your present from your ol’ Papa? Wake up, boy!” I opened my eyes, yawned, then got up and stretched. I had no idea how long I’d been asleep, but everyone was still in the living room, so it must not have been too long. That’s right, Papa—I can’t wait to see what you have for me in that big package!

Papa had already placed the present in front of me. I had no idea how I was supposed to open it all by myself, so I started chewing on one of the corners of the box, which was twice as large as me. I somehow managed to rip off a big chunk of the wrapping paper. I ran around to the other side of the box and started working on that. When I had all the paper off, I was confronted with the large box that had been taped shut. Okay. What do I do now? So, being the resourceful dachshund I am, I proceeded to chew on some of the tape. Yuck. That tastes awful.

Grandma said, “Robert, help that poor little dawg! We’ll be here until midnight if you don’t open the box for him. He’s determined, but I don’t think he’ll get it open by himself.”

So Papa tore open the top of the box, pushed back the tissue paper, and lifted out my present. Everyone oohed and aahed, but I didn’t have a clue about what it was. I sniffed it, turned it over, and tried to bite it, but I had no idea. What is it, Papa? I barked. It is really nice and soft, but I know I can’t eat it—so help me out here.

Papa laughed, turned “it” over, and placed me inside it. “Granddawg, this is your very own hotdog bun-shaped bed fer dash-hounds. It’s filled with that foam stuff that keeps its shape, and covered with nice, fuzzy ‘fur’ with dash-hound doggies all over it. That doggie pillow Holly made fer you will fit right inside it, too. An’ see all them dawg toys attached to the sides—some of ’em even squeak when you bite ’em. When you’re in your bed, you got a built-in entertainment center right there so you can chew to your heart’s content!”

Papa was so proud of his gift, and I did like it, so I felt I needed to show him how much. I wallowed inside it, rubbed my face against it, squeaked some of the toys, then licked Papa’s hand and barked. It is wonderful, Papa! My very own portable bedroom, complete with toys, too. THANK YOU! I barked again. Papa, pleased that I liked it, patted me on the head.

Kurt and Daddy mentioned they were getting hungry; wasn’t it time to eat Christmas lunch yet? So Papa, Grandma, Mavis, and Dorothy went into the kitchen to get out all the leftovers from the Christmas Eve dinner the night before and set them on the counter. Grandma said they could all prepare their own plates and heat them up in the microwave. That sounded like a good plan to me, too. I couldn’t reach the microwave, of course, but I had no doubts that Papa could.

Papa held up his hand for silence. He said grace before the meal, thanking the Lord for His bountiful blessings on our family. As he finished, he stepped aside, anticipating the “stampede” to follow. In no time, nearly everyone had a plate piled high with good food. I stuck close to Papa as he filled his plate, then sat under his chair once again as he forked down turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes, candied yams, corn pudding, and green bean casserole.

The food was just as tasty as it had been the night before, and Papa didn’t disappoint me this time, either. He kept me busy catching bites—I had worked up quite an appetite after all the uproar on the floor with the hairy beast.

After lunch, several wanted to watch TV, some decided to take naps, and a couple of family members went outside to see the snow again. As for me, I headed for my new bed and took a nap.

It was squishy, warm, and soft. Papa always looks out for me, and I always try to take care of him, too. We’re best buddies, you know.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

***Wanna read more? Go here for details to order it today!***

**RIP, SHADOW: 2001 - 2017**

**RIP, DUKE 2007 - 2017**