Our daughter is a thief. And more than a little spoiled, but that is a different column.
This is our youngest girl, but don’t think for a heartbeat that makes her the baby, even though there are 10 years between her and the Boy.
Tay never allowed us to baby her. And she never played on her natural beauty and sense of humor to get by, either. She has the temperament of an aggravated honey badger most of the time, in keeping with her coloring.
You see, this girl is a ginger. Not the gentle auburn of movie stars, no. We are talking fire-engine red. She can put her hair in pigtails, go to Wendy’s and scare the staff speechless. They hide in the walk-in cooler whispering ‘She is real, and she’s here!’
Then there are the bright blue eyes, splattered freckles everywhere and the pale skin that many gingers enjoy.
But she has always been a thief. Probably the first theft was her daddy’s heart, but after that she set her sights on animals.
As a very little girl she had a wild baby pig that she tamed and made into a pet until the day it decided to wander back into the Florida underbrush from whence it came. There after followed a series of all sorts of animals, including dogs, bottle calves and two wicked ponies named Apple and Peach. Go figure.
Tay’s favorite thing to purloin has always been someone else’s dog. Oh, she began it all innocently enough, playing with the dog in question, petting and throwing a ball or stick. She’d take the dog outside, walk it even, and before long, it was sleeping with her and following her wherever she went.
As she got older, most often she was around cowhands – real hands, not wannabes – and there is an unwritten rule that you do not touch or even speak to someone else’s working dog. It’s just not done, and it is considered very poor manners if you do.
Taylor never had to do that. The dogs just naturally gravitated to her and wanted to be with her, work for her. It was organic.
It wasn’t uncommon for her to be surrounded by a pack of dogs formerly owned by someone else, because once they had fallen under her spell, there was no going back unless the owner could get them out of her general vicinity quickly.
When she grew up and became a mom, the dog theft slowed down a lot. There wasn’t really room or time for her to work her magic on the beasts. She worked for a veterinarian for a while and still volunteers for a dog rescue that flies the animals to new appropriate homes.
About two weeks ago the Stranger decided we needed a puppy. About eight hours later we realized we had no more business with a puppy than pigs can fly.
Taylor visited us that day. I could see the old ways creeping back, carrying the puppy around, playing outside in the sunshine with the little beast, who is a gorgeous small dog.
When it came time for her to climb back into the plane she and her partner fly, the puppy was on her lap, snuggling into a blanket for the short trip to her new home.
I can’t say I was surprised or even displeased. The puppy will get the time and attention it needs, and we will get the peace and quiet we need. The redheaded stepchild got to hone her skills in dog theft. All’s well that ends well.
Now if you will excuse me, I have to go count the silverware. .