Okay, for those of you who don’t know what the MONTH OF MEL! is…first of all, where have you been? Secondly, it’s the Month Formerly Known as March–the month of my birth. I always celebrate my birthday month, so now we just call it the MONTH OF MEL! because it really is all about me.

This year, I’ve tasked you with assigning me with a list of things to do…what can Mel do for you during the MONTH OF MEL? My friend Lee asked me to write a story starring her dogs and mine…Chapter One can be found here.

and the story continues today:

Chapter 2

“Take Hudson and get her back. And this time, make sure the shock collar is set to stun,” Micah growled.

Fergus bit back a whimper. He had hoped she would never be found. He’d wanted her to escape the life of #1 bitch, and she’d managed to for a little while. But Micah wanted his bitch back and what Micah wanted, he got.

“I’ll do it, but I’m going alone.”

He needed to see her. Alone. Just one more time. She might be Princess Peaches to Micah, but she would always be his Ruby Tuesday.

It took six hours to catch up to her. Her new master had packed her up and headed out of town, but Fergus had done his research and he knew they would head for the coast.

Ruby loved the beach. They had always dreamed of running away and starting over in a small beachside doghouse. Just enough room for the two of them.

She was sitting in the wet sand, letting the waves lap at her feet.

“Hello Ruby,” he said, sitting next to her.

She wasn’t surprised to see him.

“I’ve missed you,” she said. “But I can’t go back to that life.”

“I know–I think I’ve got a plan. Do you trust me?”

BTW: Congrats to Lee and Sam and their bouncing baby boy Hopper Augustus! Everyone is happy and healthy and I can’t wait to meet the newest member of the family!

So Lee (who’s off having a baby as we speak) tasked me with one million-billion a list of things to do during the MONTH OF MEL! Most of this stuff takes time and planning so it’s been a little difficult to wake up and blog…but today, since she’s off having a baby, I’m going to attempt to write a story starring my dogs (Ruby and Pete) and her farm dogs The Brood. (Lee is a Cocker Spaniel Rescuer…she has 3 dogs of her own, plus whatever semi-cocker spaniel-like beastie they bestow upon her. I can’t keep up with her three ‘real’ dogs, much less the billions of others she has at any given time.)

Ruby was a pug like no other. Solid black and sassy, and maybe just a wee bit spoiled. But spoiled was such an ugly word. She preferred to think of herself as being pampered at very high standards.

Ruby’s “Master” (that always makes her laugh. Like anyone was her master) was a woman named Mel. And she was pretty much perfect for Ruby. Mel knew where Ruby liked to be scratched, fed her on time, and was easily manipulated into playing with her. There was another dog in the house named Pete. He was big and hairy and kinda grumpy, but Ruby didn’t care. Ruby like biting Pete’s lip and making a funny growly noise until Pete would give in and play.

Ruby was the queen and Mel and Pete were her minions. Life was good.

One night, Mel got a call on the Red Phone. Ruby was a little freaked out by this because the Red Phone hadn’t rung once since Ruby had taken over the world come to live in Chez Francis. Mel answered and her eyes went wide: “It’s for you,” she said, handing the red receiver to Ruby.

Worry and panic seized Ruby. Had they found her? Surely not. It had been almost two years. She had started to relax. She was finally living her life as it should be lived…

She took the phone: “Hello.” Her voice was shaky.

She immediately recognized the dog’s voice on the other end. “Hello Princess Peaches. We’ve found you. It’s time for you to come home.”

Just hearing her old name made her want to vomit. She fought the urge to hurl, as the floor spun beneath her feet. Ruby had hoped they had given up. She should’ve known they would never give up…

[To Be Continued…]

Lee–I’m thinking about you today! Good luck birthin’ that nugget! Love you, girl.