“I don’t know about that.You have a big, generous heart.That’s all Tater Tot needs.”
Holly focused on the puddle in the middle of her kitchen.“I thought Merry said he was potty trained.”
“I think you mean house broken.And I believe he is.”
“Then why did he do that?”She pointed to the mess.
“Because sometimes when dogs are stressed or not feeling well, they can revert in their training.You just have to get him back on track.”
“I do?”Her voice rose an octave.“But I don’t know the first thing about housebreaking a dog.”She sighed.“I’m thinking I should call Merry and tell her that I made a big mistake by agreeing to take him.”
“Nonsense.”Colin got to his feet.He glanced around.“Where’s the bag of puppy supplies?”
She pointed toward the outer room with all the boxes.“I didn’t want the puppy to get into it.”
Colin nodded in understanding before he headed out of the room.A few seconds later, she heard a bit of rummaging around.
He reappeared with a white bottle in his hands.He held it up so she could see the label.“Use this when the puppy has an accident.”
“Oh.Okay.”
Together, they cleaned up after the puppy.Colin let her know that she might want to set a timer and take the puppy out every hour until they settled into a routine.Holly insisted they wouldn’t be together long enough to form a routine.
Colin slipped on his coat.“And now I have to go.I have my own furries that need me to look after them.”He paused and looked at her.“Do you want me to take Tater Tot with me?”
Yes.Definitely.But when she opened her mouth, something quite different crossed her lips.“No.I’ve got this.”
“Are you sure?”
No.Not at all.She nodded.“Yes.”It was then that Holly realized she had taken up his entire evening.“Thank you for everything.I feel a little more confident about this venture.”
“Don’t worry.You’re going to do great.Also, I noticed Merry left you lots of helpful notes.And she included a puppy guide book.It should help you with the basic questions.
“Oh.Okay.I’ll look at that tonight.”
“Can I see your phone?”He held his hand out to her.
She didn’t know what he was up to, but she trusted him.She retrieved it from her back pocket and handed it over.He ran his fingers over the screen and then handed it back to her.
“There.You can call me any time.”
“Even if it’s a silly question like what time does he go to bed?”
“There are no silly questions when caring for an animal.And the answer would be when he falls asleep.Puppies his age have high energy and have to recharge.So, probably around eight or nine o’clock his energy will run out.Make sure you wake him up for one more trip outside before you crate him for the evening.”
She looked down at her phone and checked the time.She had a bit before she could put him to bed.And then she remembered she was supposed to set a timer to remind herself to take him outside.“How long did you say to set the timer for his next potty break?”
“Well, Tater Tot is a few months old so he can hold it a little longer.You could start with an hour.”
“I can do that.”
After Colin disappeared into the snowy night, Holly turned around to Tater Tot.“Looks like it’s just you and me.Maybe I should look in that bag of supplies and see what other goodies Merry sent home with us.And then I’ll set up your bed next to mine.Okay?”
The puppy gave her a wary look.
Holly hoped this arrangement went better than she’d imagined.Maybe she should have taken Colin up on his offer to take the puppy with him.Because she had absolutely no idea what she was doing.
Chapter Six
