“He’s an older dog, and he’s not used to young kids,” I explain. “You have to speak calmly and move slowly so that you don’t frighten him.”
“Okay,” Noah whispers, looking at Flash with big eyes.
“Not that softly,” I chuckle. “His name is Flash.”
Noah frowns. “Why Flash?”
“Because he’s as fast as a flash of lightning.”
“Is he mine?” Noah asks, his small face hopeful.
“That depends on how well he settles in with us. Would you like us to adopt him?”
Noah bobs his head up and down. “Yes.”
“Come here, Flash.”
Flash comes out from behind me and stops next to my leg.
“That’s called to heel,” I tell Noah. “If you want him to stay at your side, you need to tell him in a firm voice, “Heel.”
“Heel,” Noah says in a serious but subdued tone.
Flash lifts his butt and sits down again.
The sound of Tatiana’s laugh is carefree and beautiful. “He’s such a clever dog. He just repeated that command like a pro.”
“If you want him to heel at your side, you have to pat your thigh like this.”
I show Noah how.
At the second try, Flash moves to Noah’s right side and sits down next to him.
“Oh, wow.” Noah looks at me. “Did you see that?” He bends down and pets Flash. “You’re the cleverest dog in the world.”
Tatiana shoots me a smile.
“Shall we see how good Flash is at fetching a ball?”
“Can he play with my soccer ball?”
“Not unless you want it deflated. His teeth will damage it, and the ball is too big for his jaw. Let’s try a tennis ball for now. If everything goes well, we can buy a ball that’s adapted to a dog of his size.”
Noah sprints to the container on the deck in which we keep his inflatable pool toys and returns with a tennis ball.
For a while, Tatiana and I watch as Noah and Flash get acquainted.
She leans against me, snuggling with her shoulder against my arm. “I think it’s going really well.” Her voice is a little sad. “Poor Flash.”
What she’s really saying is that she feels sorry for both the dog and its dead owner.
Noah, out of breath after so much running, flops down on the lawn. Flash immediately sits down next to him.
Noah puts an arm around the dog. “Are you thirsty? I’ll get you water, Flash.”
It’s an endearing scene.
She glances up at me. “What do you think?”
