The Adventures of Zelda: A Pug Tale

Chapter 2: Zelda and the Treat Bowl

From my seat at the table, I watch Hannah pour a bag of my treats into a little bowl. She places a lid on the bowl and leaves the bowl of treats on the kitchen table.

I can’t believe she left the treats within my reach!

The treats smell delicious, and if I leap on the chair, then step on the table, I can reach the bowl. My family enforces a strict “no paws on the table” rule, but they don’t have to know I broke it.

When my family leaves after dinner, I sprint to the kitchen. I leap on the chair and hoist myself onto the table. The bowl of treats is a few pug steps away. With the treats so close, my guilt disappears for breaking the “no paws on the table” rule. I sniff the bowl and feel a sneeze coming. I let loose. The force of the sneeze causes me to whack my nose on the table.

Ouch.

I shake my head and regain my focus. I try opening the lid with my paws, but I can’t get any traction on the slippery table.  My paws are sliding everywhere!

I bite at the lid next, attempting to free the treats, but my flat face makes it impossible to grip the lid. I try lifting the whole bowl, but the bowl is too heavy to hold in my little mouth. I am stumped. I don’t know what to do next.

While I sit on my hind legs devising a plan, I hear the car pull into the driveway. I leap off the table, to the floor, and dash to my dog bed. As the door opens, I plop on my bed.

"Hey bug,” Lucy says. Lucy calls me bug sometimes. I think it's because she can't say pug. I run to her and lick her face. Ben crosses through the doorway next. He grabs the bowl of treats and sits on the floor.

Treats!

I dash for the bowl, but Ben lifts it in the air seconds before I arrive. I’m in a full-speed sprint, and I can’t stop in time–I tumble into Ben’s leg. I bounce off him and plant myself in a sitting position facing him, pretending nothing unusual happened.

“Down,” Ben says. I lie flat on the floor, and Ben gives me a savory bacon treat. We practice sit, down, up, and leave it before Ben speaks a strange, new command.

“Shake.” He reaches for my paw.

Shake! What is shake?  

We practice shake a few more times. I learn that shake means to place my paw in Ben’s hand. While we practice, the treat bowl taunts me. I need those treats!

“Up,” Ben commands. As I stand on my hind paws, I think of an idea. The plan depends on the up command. When Ben says up, I will follow his directions. Ben knows I can only stand on my back paws for a short time. When I stand, I will walk forward to Ben and the treat bowl. After he gives me the treat, I will fall forward, land right in front of the treat bowl, grab the open bowl with my mouth, and dash under the bed with it. It’s the perfect plan!

"Sit!" Ben says. I wonder how long he has been telling me to sit.

"Down!" I lie on the floor.

"Up!" Ben commands.

This is it!

I jump up, stand on my hind legs, stagger forward, lose my balance and fall. My front paws land on top of the treat bowl, sending the bowl flying into the air. The empty bowl lands a couple feet behind me and the treats scatter across the floor.

With Ben laughing, I know it’s time to go for it. I inhale all the treats in front of me. I have eaten a dozen treats when the goose honking that haunts the pug species begins. My excitement, coupled with my small and flat nose, causes me to lose my breath. I make a terrible sound like a goose honk until I catch my breath.

"What's going on here?" Hannah asks. She walks into the living room from the back room. She glances at the treats scattered around the room. Scared, I run inside my crate.

"We had a little accident," Ben says.

“What kind of accident?” she asks. 

“Zelda knocked over the bucket of treats,” Ben mumbles. Hannah laughs and picks up some of the treats lying close to her.

“Okay, just don’t let Zelda eat all the treats. She is a little pug, you know,” Hannah says.

“Okay, Mom.” Ben lets out a sigh of relief. Hannah walks back to the office.

"Here you go Zelda.” Ben hands me all the treats on the floor. “Don’t tell Mom I gave them to you.”

I am shocked. I made a mess, but I didn’t get in trouble, and I ate the bucket of treats. In my old house, this would have never happened. I am so happy to be a part of this family.