On Monday morning HairyFace helped me put my harness on, and I wondered why he was doing that. We had already done the trash run a couple of days before. He snapped on a leash and walked me out to the truck. That was good news, I like truck rides!

After belting me in, he got in and started the make-it-go thing. He did not go get Blondie: Blondie’s not coming too? That usually means we’re going to the vet. Not that I mind going to my vet: she is very nice, everyone loves on me and I get lots of treats. But they also like to poke me with sharp things. I don’t care for that part.

We rolled down the driveway and turned toward town. Could be the vet, could be the cookie-window place.

There’s a place that Hairy goes sometimes to swap out pieces of paper with a lady behind a big glass window. She always sends out some dog cookies with his slips of paper. We could be going there.

When we got to the end of go-sorta-fast road he turned toward town. My vet is the other way: not going to the vet. I started licking my lips and thinking about those cookies.

But he drove right past the cookie-window place. I groused at him, “Growl-grr-ruff!”: “Where are you going, you missed it!” But he kept going and seemed to know where he wanted to go.

When he turned off the road, the place looked familiar. He drove across the hard, smooth, black field filled with stopped cars and I saw where we were headed: TRACTOR SUPPLY! I haven’t been here in a long time! I LOVE this place!

Hairy found a spot to park and I started dancing in my seat wanting out. I tried to come across his seat when he stepped out, but I was still belted in so I squirmed as he came around, opened my door and unfastened me so I could get down.

I made a bee-line for the front door, but HairyFace insisted that we go first to an open field of grass between two stores. “Oh, yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” I found a spot quickly and emptied my bladder, then we quick-walked back to the TSC store.

To get there we have to walk across the front of another store. There were Peoples walking in and out of that one so I said in my deep rumbly voice, “Hello, my name is Cochise. Would you like to pet me?” and I hopped over next to them. Their eyes got big and round and they jumped back. Hairy just tugged my leash and said, “Come Cochise.”

Hmph! Those Peoples were not very friendly! Must be cat Peoples.

When we got inside the TSC store I again announced my presence and willingness to accept loving. I tried to run to the lady at the counter, but Hairy was still holding me back so I stood up, waved my forelegs and said, “Arr, rarr, roo, rarr, rar, roof.” The store lady at the counter and the person buying stuff laughed real loud, and the nice counter lady asked if I could have some treats. Hairy said, “Yes, but not too many. He can be a real pig.” She laughed again and came to me. She said, “Can you sit?” and I sat. She gave me a treat. She said, “Can you shake?” and I held out my paw. “Oh, you’re such a good boy!” and she gave me another treat.

She promised me more treats later if I was a really good boy. So Hairy and I went on to the most important part of the store: dog supplies.

He loaded a couple bags of kibble on the cart and we went to the treat aisle and he picked out bags of all our favorite treats: hoofies, rib bones, cookies, and beef sticks. He also talked to another store person and that person brought him a “room”. They were calling it a “crate” be we all know it as “room”. When the Peoples say, “Into your room” to a foster dog, they learn that if they walk in on their own they’ll get a mini-cookie as reward.

The store person said, “This is a big box, is it for you?” and looked at me. I snorted, “Harf.” Not me, I don’t need that any more. I sleep where I want.

Hairy said, “That’s it, Chief (sometimes he calls me Chief). You’ve been very good. Would you like a pig ear?”

Ohhh, pig ears, I LOVE pig ears. We haven’t had pig ears in a while now. SO I smiled at him and wagged my tail faster. He got a pig ear down and handed it to me. “Would you like to carry your treat to the counter so I can pay for it?”

I took it from his hand and we headed to the front of the store. We encountered several people along the way and they all chuckled at me carrying my pig ear as I pranced along beside Hairy’s cart.

Up front I got more treats and some scratching while Hairy paid for our stuff. Then we headed back to the truck to load up.

Once he got me belted in again he unwrapped my pig ear and gave it to me, but there was no room to lay down on this seat so I could properly chew the treat. So I just put it between my feet and saved it for later.

When we got home, Hairy hooked me up to a tether on the front porch and gave me my pig ear again. “You eat that while I unload the truck.” But Blondie and I have agreed that it is uncivilized to eat a treat (or a meal, for that matter) on a bare floor. A snuggle bed is preferred, a blanket, or at the very least a throw rug is needed. Bare floor dining? That’s for heathen dogs. So I saved the pig ear until Hairy was done and I followed him inside to do it right.

He said, “This presents a problem, you know. Tinker and Blondie want to come back in,” (he had put them outside so he could block the front door open to carry in all the supplies) “and I only bought one pig ear.”

“Well, give them something else. As long as we each get a treat, what difference does it make?”

“That might work.”

He gave Blondie a new hoofie. She was so thrilled she didn’t even notice that I had a pig ear. Tinker is real picky about treats. About the only thing he likes – other than cookies – is a munchy-bone. So Hairy gave him one of those.

We all sat in our places and chewed contentedly on our treats and all was well. Then I told them all about my Dudes Day Out with Hairy. They were SO jealous!