THE NEWFOUNDLAND QUARTERLY :: ONLINE EXCLUSIVES
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Online Exclusive for #434 We got Finlay, the beagle, the day after I landed in Newfoundland. Emily had met him a few weeks earlier when she started volunteering at the animal shelter, and I didn't really have a lot of choice in the matter. Not that is was a unilateral decision, she had waited for me to arrive, but Finlay was clearly her choice. And for the last couple months, despite the fact that I've been working at home, Finlay has also been her dog. I take him for most of his walks, and he snoozes on the floor while I write, but when Emily gets home he goes nuts, and all of a sudden he knows how to come, and sit, and play fetch.
Getting a dog was my idea, and it was an important step in our relationship. Not that Finlay was going to be a stand-in for a child - but adopting a dog was a testament to the stability of our life together, like mixing our books on the shelves. And, I'll be honest, I had never had a dog before. I pictured us playing frisbee, canoeing together, or going on runs. Before I started dating Emily, I remember telling a friend I was just looking pretty much looking for a consistent paddling partner, so I wouldn't have to call all my friends any time I wanted to head out on the water. Finlay would be a companion on a different level and a responsibility Emily and I would share. When Finlay and I still weren't friends after a month of living together, I decided to try reading kids books to him. A long shot, sure, but worth a try. I chose an assortment of picture books from the A.C. Hunter Children's Library in St. John's, starting, naturally, with books about Newfounland Retrievers. There are lots of them, and I thought Finlay might recognize a kindred spirit. He's a Newfoundland Beagle, after all. On the night of the experiment he sat on his bed and I sat down next to him and started reading Heroes of the Isle Aux Morts (Alice Walsh, Tundra Books). It was a great book, and I learned a bit of local history, but Finlay just seemed worried. He has remarkably expressive eyebrows - and as a result his expressions are easy to anthropomorphize - but in this case his reaction was pretty clear. He had backed up against the wall and was starting to shake. Clearly this wasn't really helping our friendship. He didn't seem inclined to relax so I changed tactics, presenting prey as oppose to pals in In the Snow (Sharon Denslow, Greenwilow Books). The book is delightfully simple - each page has a different animal arriving on the scene to eat seeds, you guessed it, in the snow. I picked it based on its cover, which showed two large, furry, rabbits. Beagles were bred for rabbit hunting, and I thought the illustrations might pique Finlay's interest. He settled down a bit, but certainly didn't seem too fussed about his potential quarries or their winged friends. I decided to stop thinking about what Finlay might like (he is a dog) and read something I liked. Blueberries for Sal (Robert McCloskey, Viking Press) was an easy choice. Growing up in Maine, McCloskey's books were a big deal, and Blueberries for Sal is one of the best - a story that children and animals can both relate to. As I read the familiar "kerplink, kerplank, kerplunk" for the second or third time, I looked over at Finlay. Maybe I had just tuckered him out with all the reading, or maybe the rhythm of the McCloskey's writing was working, but whatever the cause, Finlay had put his head down and was breathing easily. I scratched him behind the ears and went back to the story. I don't know what Finlay thought about our evening of reading together, and I am sorry to report that it didn't flip that magic switch in our relationship. Logically, it was never really going to work and I really don't know what I thought would happen. If I were serious about trying to make friends with Finlay, I would find a way to go chase rabbits with him or perhaps work harder on his obedience training. But I haven't had an excuse to read kids books for a long time, and it was nice to settle into the groove again. I think I have been projecting a lot onto Finlay, and he has to compete with years of expectation and unfounded preconceptions. So maybe I need to back off a little and remember he's just a dog. For now, I'll be content with quiet cohabitation, and perhaps we'll be friends by spring. Martin Connelly is a freelance journalist and multimedia producer currently based in St. John's, Newfoundland. When not online, he spends his time walking Finlay and cooking dinner for Emily. Back to Online Exclusives main page. |
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