The next day, I wait by the front door in expectation of another car ride. When my family leaves during the bright hours without us, I realize we aren’t returning to the water trail today.
Gradually, I return to a normal routine and stop waiting by the door. We haven’t returned to the water trail. I hope it wasn’t a one-time outing, but I have enough adventures awaiting me in my neighborhood to fill my time. I spend the mornings and evenings in the backyard. I think of exploring beyond the fence, but I don’t have a good reason to risk it.
The days fade into one another, but when I hear the word “park” one day, my ears perk up.
I scamper to Nate and Ben to listen to their conversation. I don’t understand many of the words, but the words “dog” and “park” are enough to make my tail bounce. When I hear Nate say, “Let’s go,” I know it’s time for another adventure. I follow Ben to the front of the house. He takes the harnesses off the shelf.
Yes!
I pug sprint in circles through the room. With the commotion, Peach wanders into the room. I run around her. She nips at me and then grabs a toy. I reach for the toy and grab it with my mouth. As we play tug-of-war, I forget why I am excited.
“Peach, come,” Nate says. Peach drops the toy and walks to Nate. I grab the toy and watch Nate put on her harness.
Oh, yeah! Park!
I dart to Ben. He grabs me and places the harness around my body.
The car ride is short. We park in a large grassy area. I jump out of the car, and the smells attack my nose.
So many dogs!
Peach and I, sniffing and tracking, scamper from one smell to the next. Ben and Nate try to keep us moving forward. As we approach a fence, the smells grow more potent. A dog barks. Ben and Nate let us in the fence.
When I enter the fence, I realize that I have been to this park. My family brought us here for my fourth birthday. The park was filled with pugs. I ran with them for an hour. It was amazing. My nose tells me the pugs aren’t here today, but that’s okay. I’ll run with any dog!
Hannah and Nate take off our leashes and let us through another gate. I see two small dogs chasing each other through the open grass. Peach takes off for the dogs, catching them in an instant.
Geez. She is fast.
I investigate a few smells along the fence, and I spot another dog on the other side of the fence. The dog reminds me of Norman with its gigantic head and wrinkles. Norman and I love playing, even though he is much bigger than me. I bark at the dog, trying to get its attention. The dog races to the fence and barks at me. The bark is playful, so I take off running next to the fence. He races with me on the other side of the fence. We run back and forth for a few minutes, but then another dog enters his side. He takes off running with it. I stop.
Peach stands near Ben and Nate. I jog to them. A water bowl rests next to Ben, so I take a drink. When the Norman look-alike barks, I jog back to the fence with Peach beside me. The other side of the fence is filled with dogs. The dogs are bigger than we are, but they are running and playing all over the grass.
Peach notices all the dogs and leaps straight up in the air. Her head reaches the top of the fence. She wants to go to the other side of the fence too. I paw at the fence and bark. A pug-colored dog comes to the fence on the other side. He tries to lick my face through the fence.
“Peach, Zelda,” Nate shouts. Peach stops her leaping. We both turn and face Nate. He stands by the gate. I look at Peach. We bark in unison, and then we sprint to him. He opens the gate in the nick of time. Peach and I dash through to the other side. I see the group of big dogs and run straight for them.
Peach beats me to the dogs. A black dog sprints away, so Peach chases after it. I run to the group of dogs and weave in and out of them, baiting one of them to come after me. The dog that tried to lick me through the fence takes the bait. He chases after me. He is fast, but my short pug legs can turn on a dime. I change direction moments before he catches me. Then we are off again. I head for a tree to maneuver away from the dog, but he is too fast. He catches up to me. I freeze. So does he. We stand with our butts in the air in a standoff.
He has a twinkle in his eyes, and I pounce for him. Even though he is much bigger than me, I can stand my own. We tumble through the grass. I roll back on to my belly and bark, but then Peach comes racing between us with the black dog in tow.
Peach!
I chase after them, and my new friend follows. We run through the entire area, and as we run, more and more dogs join our game of chase. A skinny gray dog joins the fun. She runs with a grace unlike any other dog I have seen. It’s almost like she is flying through the air. She catches Peach in an instant, and Peach collapses in the grass. All the dogs chasing Peach stop. We pant, tired and out of breath.
I jog to Ben and Nate. They have the water bowl, and I stop to get my fill. Peach follows me and takes a few long gulps. Then she collapses on the grass on her side, panting with her tongue hanging out.
“I think they like running with the big dogs,” Ben says.
“No kidding,” Nate replies.
“I can’t believe Zelda can keep up with them.”
What? Of course I can keep up with them.
Ben’s words light a fire inside of me. I might not be as big or as fast as some of the other dogs, but I make up for my lack of speed and size with my pug smarts and stubbornness. I look to the skinny gray dog running around the exterior of the park. If I catch him, everyone will know that I am the top dog.
I go for a jog through the park to scope out the area. An idea pops into my pug brain. I take off for the gray dog. We cross paths in the middle of the field, but he doesn’t pause for me. He darts forward with a few dogs behind him.
Well. That didn’t work.
I watch him run and recognize the pattern of his gallop through the park. I join in the chase, knowing I can’t catch him a dead sprint. When we reach a tree, I stop. Ben and Nate are sitting on a bench a few steps away.
Perfect.
I hide behind the trunk and wait, listening to the noises of the paws trampling through the park. The gray dog is very soft on his paws, barely making a sound, but I know he is coming.
I jump out from behind the tree. The gray dog lets out a yelp and then scatters in the other direction. Ben and Nate laugh. I plop on the ground and let my tongue hang out.
“Did you see that?” Ben asks. Nate nods. “Zelda scared that greyhound.”
“I know,” Nate says.
“Zelda is crazy.”
“No, she’s not crazy. She’s smart.”
True.
“Yep. We should make a cartoon series. We can call it ‘The Legend of Zelda’,” Ben says. Nate laughs.
Ben called me a legend!
“I don’t think we can call it that. Copyright mumbo jumbo.”
“Right.”
“ARRFF! ARRFF!”
Peach barrels toward me with a dog on her tail. I sidestep out of the way as they race past.
“Zelda, Peach, time to go,” shouts Nate.
I stand and walk to them. My tail bounces from one side of my butt to the other. Peach hurries to my side. As we walk out of the dog park together, I don’t acknowledge or bark at the other dogs, but I walk with a strut to my step. All the dogs know the truth. I am the pug legend.