I have plans when I drool.
If you wonder if I drool, just look at Mike’s shirts, coats, truck interior and the windows at the backdoor or the floor around the kitchen table. Those many noticeable round spots are drool. Drooling is my way of saying, “Hey, I’m interested in what you have in your hand. Give it to me or prepare to slip in or wear my drool.” This is a way dogs claim things, har har!
Drooling goes back to when dogs were evolving — it was a means of defense. We drooled and looked like we had rabies, and hoomans and other dogs steered clear or fled for their lives. If you don’t understand, rent the movie Old Yeller. I gather it was an entire movie made about a drooling Yellow dog. Wow! Today, we hope when you see a dog drooling you will be afraid and drop what is in your hand so we can quickly grab and eat it. Har har, most hoomans seem to be afraid of foamy white dog spit or drool, so be it.
I understand you hoomans also have a rule related to the application of drool: If you lick something, like a donut in the box or sandwich on a plate, it is yours and no one else will eat it. I can also drool on things to claim them. If I drool on it, there’s a high probability you will NOT eat it. I drool on my toys and I never see anyone grab one up and put it in their mouth. Definite proof that drool works, har har!
Lately I have begun to drool long strings of spittle. This advanced drooling gets on the floor and also on Mike’s pants legs. He has declared it to be disgusting. For him to keep eating and ignoring me when he has something I want to eat is beyond disgusting — it’s rude to the max. If he hands me the food, my plentiful drool helps with digestion. I have plans when I drool.
Now, hand over what you have in your hand, I want it. If not, be prepared for lots of drool. —Cameron
This collection, first published in 1998, turns to Rutledge’s writings on two subjects near and dear to his heart that he understood with an intimacy growing out of a lifetime of experience—upland bird hunting and hunting dogs. Its contents range from delightful tales of quail and grouse hunts to pieces on special dogs and some of their traits. Bird Dog Days, Wingshooting Ways also includes a long fictional piece, “The Odyssey of Bolio,” which shows that Rutledge’s literary mastery extended beyond simple tales for outdoorsmen. Buy Now
