Doggie Trouble

Monday, July 21 2008

“Hmm, the first real day of the summer holidays. If I can polish up my juggling skills, determine to live moment by moment and breath deeply, I’ll be OK,” thought Mrs Bennet, “Oh, and pick my battles.” She mentally made a note that if Miss Bennet Number Three insisted on wearing her pyjama top to town, she could. It really wasn’t worth the fuss, unless it was raining. But then there was always Dora the Explorer Umbrella to fall back on – which incidentally matched the pyjamas.

On the last day of school term, waiting for the endless drawings, projects and collages crammed with nobbly bits which seemed to fall off everywhere and smelly PE kit to hit her, Mrs Bennet made a vow to herself: to do what she had to do in order to keep her head above water.

She only asked for one thing – to be able to do her two exercise classes on a Monday and Thursday morning. Because she knew if her bits weren’t in the right place, she wouldn’t be in a good place either. So she booked her younger three into the crèche and allowed the older two Bennets to sit like the grown-ups on the sofas in the entrance area and play games, read or talk quietly.

All went swimmingly this morning until Miss Naomi Bennet noticed Welly, a small dog under the feet of its owner, who also happened to own the fitness complex.

It really was a problem for Mrs Bennet. Her children had this unfortunate and highly embarrassing habit of freezing in fear if a dog or cat came remotely close to them. Friends had to lock their pets in kitchens, bedrooms, front rooms and gardens, just so the Bennet girls would step into their house at all.

This fear was spreading. Later that day, when the girls were tucking into their hand-crafted beef burgers, next-door’s cat brushed herself against the smallest twin Bennet, who promptly screamed hysterically in fright. Her eldest three siblings, echoed her cry and quickly dispersed while the bolder twin, went up to her feline friend, stroked his head and laughed. Holding the scared twin in her arms, Mrs Bennet tried to calm her daughters down, but two were hiding behind the car and the middle one rushed into the house, forgetting to close the door behind her so, thinking it was all a joke, the cat saw a great chance to explore and promptly followed her in. Miss Kezia Bennet had buried her face into her mother’s neck and refused to look up, but Mrs Bennet tried her best to get up and go to her third daughter’s rescue. She found her perched on the top of the sofa

“What are we going to do Mr Bennet? I can’t go anywhere without a dog popping up and the girls going ballistic. It’s driving me potty!” she told her husband.

“The only way that’s going to happen is if we get a dog ourselves,” he replied.

“Mr Bennet you must be joking. Five girls is enough thank you. I have enough wee and poo to clear up as it is!”