Hector and Bobby catch up to Coach Campbell on their way to school and say, “Hey Coach, how are you? How is Delmar?”
“Oh, Delmar is just fine. He goes to puppy day care now,” answers Coach. Hector says, “Daycare, you mean like what my little brother goes to?”
“Well,” says Coach, “kind-a-sort-a, a little bit, yeah…it is a place where you can go and exercise and play, and have someone keep an eye on you so you stay safe. Puppies, like little brothers, can have some bad ideas, and if not watched, they can hurt themselves.”
“So what is Delmar’s day like? Yeah, tell us,” asks Hector.
“We get up early. The van comes by to pick up Delmar at 5:45 AM. Then he goes for a ride in the van, picking up other dogs that are also going to doggie daycare. There are about 10 or so dogs in the van by the time they get to the place,” says Coach.
Bobby whistles and says, “Wow, that’s a lot of dogs. Then what?”Coach nods, saying, “Then, well, they play. They run, and bark, and wrestle, and have fun.”
“Wow that sounds like a lot of fun,” adds Hector. “Is there lunch?” Coach can’t keep from smiling because he knows how important food is to Hector. He answers, “Not at first, but he gets a lunch now. He gets the lunch that I pack for him. See, we get up real early, and Delmar has gotten car sick before, so no breakfast. With such a busy day, and no lunch, he was losing weight. So, now he gets a baggie of puppy kibble and ground up doggie treats, looks sort of like a crumbled up oatmeal bar.”
Bobby looks thoughtful for a moment and then says,”Delmar must be real tired when he gets home. What time does he get home?”Coach agrees that Delmar is very tired when he gets home, which usually is around 5 PM. Coach adds that all Delmar really wants to do is sleep when he gets home; he says, “Later on, he gets up and has some dinner, and you can tell just by the way he is moving, kind-a slow, just a little bit of stiffness in his walk, he had a busy day.”
Hector sighs and says, “I wish Delmar could tell us about what his day is like.”
Coach smiles and nods his head saying, “So do I, but what happens at doggie day care, stays at doggie day care. He doesn’t tell any stories, but he sure does look happy.”
Story by: Ned Campbell, a teacher and coach in Brooklyn, NY
