Little Red Top and the Christmas Package

The farm of our dreams, came complete with 4 dogs that belonged to the elderly next door neighbor.  By the time we arrived he was struggling with terminal illness.  His dogs were thin and fighting over every scrap of food so, of course, we started feeding them.  

One was three month old pup.  The mom & other pups had already disappeared to an unknown fate by the time we arrived.  She was naked of hair on her body with just a bit on her head, tail and feet.  She had a huge worm belly and her head was narrow and stunted looking .  Eventually she'd come to be called Little Red Top.

Red Top is really smart and really quick which is how she survived the larger dogs while competing for food.  She could dart in and be out before the others could decide to move - most of the time.  She had some injuries on her skull to prove the times she failed. 

I treated her and slowly her hair and her health started returning.  During this time she fell deeply in love with my husband.  He never wormed her or gave her shots.  He only fed her treats, talked kindly to her and loved her.  She bonded to him hard and became his dog heart and soul.  

When she was feral, she used to burrow down into the dried leaves with just her head sticking up.  The red coat on her head gave her the perfect camouflage.  

This year at Christmas one of my friends sent a surprise package.  She had cushioned the contents with stuffed dog toys.  I tossed one of the toys to Little Red Top.  From that moment my star rose in her eyes.  Her affection for Dwight is unwavering, however, she did unbend enough to reward me for the gift.  Later that night I awoke  to find her standing on my hip staring down intently into my face.  Kind of the way Snoopy looks when he is pretending to be a vulture.  This is a signal that she would accept a little middle of the night petting love as my reward for her toy.  I, of course, complied with her wishes.  She is, after all, queen most high of the house and mine to command.