Photo by Angela Kirk

Last Friday Doc said she thought it was a good idea to stop at the pet store on the way home from work to get some more dog food. I always think that going to the pet store is a good idea. What’s not to like? They have everything imaginable that a dog would want to eat, play with or sleep on. What I didn’t expect was for Doc to break a promise she had made to me at least 100 times.

Entering the pet store I received a friendly pat on the head and a treat while another clerk went to the back of the store to get my big bag of dog food. I saw Doc look over to the right while we were waiting and then move toward a display of clothing. I was horrified when I read the sign she was staring at “Dog Coats 30% Off.” When she started touching them I though, ” Oh No, she wouldn’t do that to me.” But before the thought left my brain she had the store clerk looking for my size and putting a horrendous  pink and brown plaid coat on my body. Looking at her with pleading eyes I said. ” Doc, you promised you would never make me dress up in dog clothes, remember? You even use to make fun of dogs that wore outfits.” ” Well things change Grover”. “On January 30th the Polar Vortex arrives with -2 degrees and a wind chill factor of -25- 45. You need a coat young man!” she quipped.

Trying on the coats in front of other dogs in the store was down right humiliating. To make it worse Doc laughed when I put my tail between my legs and hung my head.  Now that was just mean and I told her so. Luckily the store clerk took pity on me and found me a more masculine navy coat with brown buttons and white fleece pop up collar. When she paid them for it at the cash register I knew it was a done deal. I sulked all the way home.

After we got home Doc took me for a walk in my new coat. As we passed my friends Norman and Bailey’s  house I noticed that they were looking at me and admiring my new coat. At that moment my tail went up and I started holding my head up high. I guess it wasn’t so bad after all. It did have a nice flip-up fleece collar and even the humans we passed told me I looked handsome. On the plus side the coat was warm.

By the time we got back from the walk I didn’t want to take it off. I finally swallowed my pride and thanked Doc for my new nice winter coat. Having someone care enough about you that they want you to stay warm is not the worse thing that can happen in your life.