Millie And The Backyard Pond

Millie stopped. Her paws pressed into the soft ground. She looked at Nora, then at the shining pond. A small drop of water slid from her chin.

Nora took a slow breath. Millie watched her chest rise and fall.

“That’s it,” Nora whispered. “We can be calm together.”

Millie’s tail gave one soft thump against the grass.

Nora rolled the rubber ball away from the pond. It bumped over the patio and stopped beside a flowerpot.

Millie dashed after it.

Her muddy paws made little prints across the stones. She grabbed the ball and turned around too fast. Her back feet slipped in the wet dirt, and a fan of brown water sprayed across the patio.

Splish. Splish. Splish.

Three muddy spots landed on Nora’s sandals.

Nora looked down. Millie froze with the ball in her mouth.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Then Nora laughed softly. “That was a very small walk.”

Millie lowered her head.

“It’s okay,” Nora said. She knelt and held out her hand. “Come here. We’ll clean your paws.”

Millie stepped toward her, but the pond water made her feet slippery. She shook one paw. A drop flew onto Nora’s sleeve.

Nora blinked at it.

Millie’s eyes grew wide.

“You’re still safe,” Nora said. “And I’m still here.”

Millie leaned against Nora’s knee.

Nora rubbed behind her ears. Millie’s fur felt cool and clumpy beneath her fingers. The pond had left mud between her toes and along the soft fur on her legs.

Nora reached for the towel. “Let’s use this one paw at a time.”

She lifted Millie’s front paw and wrapped it in the warm, fluffy cloth.

Millie pulled back.

“I know,” Nora said. “The towel feels strange. We can go slowly.”

Millie sniffed the towel. It smelled like soap and sunshine. She placed her paw on it again.

Nora wiped away the mud. Brown streaks appeared on the white towel.

“There we go,” Nora said. “One paw is ready.”

Millie glanced toward the pond.

Nora followed her gaze. “You still want to go back.”

Millie gave a tiny bark.

“I understand,” Nora said. “The water is fun. But the mud comes with it.”

Millie turned her head and looked at her dirty legs.

Nora wiped the second paw. “Maybe we need a gentler pond game.”

Millie shifted her weight. Her wet tail brushed the towel, sending a soft puff of damp air around them.

Nora glanced at the patio. Muddy splashes covered the stones. One brown spot dotted the leg of a chair. Another streak marked the bottom of the back door.

She had thought the mess would stay near the pond.

It had not.

Nora stood and looked from the pond to the patio. The water had splashed farther than she expected. Millie had carried the mud with her, too, in every pawprint.

Nora crouched again. “The pond is not only at the edge, is it?”

Millie placed one muddy paw on Nora’s clean knee.

Nora smiled. “No, it follows you.”

Millie’s nose twitched. She gave the patio a careful sniff.

Nora took the ball and held it near her chest. “Let’s try one more thing. We’ll stay close to the water, and I’ll roll the ball softly. No racing.”

Millie sat.

Nora’s eyebrows rose. “Are you ready to wait?”

Millie’s ears stood tall.

Nora rolled the ball a short distance along the grass. It stopped before the muddy edge.

Millie waited.

Nora counted quietly. “One… two…”

Millie’s paws trembled with excitement.

“Three.”

Millie trotted to the ball. She did not jump into the pond. She picked it up and came back with small, careful steps.

Nora clapped. “Wonderful!”

Millie dropped the ball beside her.

The game went well for two turns. On the third turn, the ball rolled just a little too close to the water.

Millie hurried.

Her front paws landed in the pond with a quiet plop.

Nora reached out. “Easy, Millie.”

Millie stopped, but her back paws slipped forward. Another small splash rose around her legs.

She came out at once.

The mud was not as thick this time, but it still covered her paws. A brown drop hung from one whisker.

Nora wiped her face with the corner of the towel. “You listened quickly.”

Millie looked pleased. She leaned into Nora’s hand.

Then she shook.

Water flew in every direction.

Nora stepped back, but not far enough. Muddy drops dotted her shirt, the patio chair, the flowerpot, and the clean side of the towel.

Millie’s ears flopped as the shaking stopped.

Nora stared at the new splashes. One drop rested on the patio table. Another slid down the back door in a thin brown line.

Millie sat very still.

Nora let out a slow breath. “The pond game made a bigger game.”

Millie looked at Nora’s muddy shirt.

Nora touched Millie’s nose. “You did not do anything bad. You were wet, and wet dogs shake.”

Millie’s tail moved once.

“We can clean it up together,” Nora said. “First, your paws.”

She guided Millie onto the towel. Nora lifted each paw and wiped between the toes. Millie stayed still, even when the cloth brushed a ticklish spot.

“That is better,” Nora said. “Your paws are still muddy, but they are not dripping.”

Millie licked Nora’s hand.

Nora smiled. “Thank you.”

She looked around the patio again. The mess had spread in a wide, funny pattern. Little pawprints led from the pond to the chair. Muddy drops dotted the path like round brown buttons.

Nora picked up the ball. “Tomorrow, I’ll make a pond path with towels. Maybe we can put the ball farther from the water. Maybe we can play before you splash.”

Millie tilted her head.

“And maybe,” Nora added, “we can have a quiet towel spot right here.”

She patted the dry part of the patio.

Millie walked onto it. Her paws left four fresh marks.

Nora looked at the marks and chuckled. “We will need more than one towel.”

Millie curled beside her feet. The afternoon sun warmed her damp back. Near the pond, the lily pads rocked gently. Water whispered against the stones.

Nora sat beside Millie and scratched her ears.

Millie’s eyes grew sleepy. She had gotten muddy again, just as she always did when she visited the pond. But this time, she had waited, listened, and come back when Nora called.

Nora rested her hand on Millie’s head. “We can make pond time gentle, one small step at a time.”

Together, they stayed on the patio while Nora wiped Millie’s paws and cleaned the muddy splashes around them.

End of chapter one. 5 more chapters in the full book.