(Go to the beginning of this story)
Charlie thought it was safest to keep the dog in the car while they drove to the pet store. Pet stores were a first for him. He had of course heard of them, but had never had occasion to actually go into one. Stevie re-assured him that he knew a great one. “It’s where we always go!” he said, brightly. “I’ll show you!”
The next thing he knew, Charlie found himself in the car with a dog and the neighborhood kid, both looking equally enthused by this jaunt. Charlie was aware that neither dog nor kid belonged to him, yet he was somewhat caught up in the novelty of the morning, and so, taking them on a ride to the pet store seemed to be par for the course.
Charlie had a brand new set of considerations to consider. For one thing, the dog needed a collar and a leash. Having her run around every wildly would not do! He needed a way to control her… or at least try to. For another, she needed some proper dog food. Charlie was especially curious about what that might be.
As for having Stevie ride with him, Charlie hadn’t given it any thought. The kid offered, and though Charlie was a full grown man in an age where strangers—even neighbors—did not usually take children anywhere without their parents’ consent, he did not consider this. Besides, the kid had offered.
He has a lot of useful knowledge, Charlie thought. I would not know my around taking care of a dog without him.
And so, the three adventurers found themselves outside of “Rhett’s Pets Supplies,” or “Rhett’s Pets,” as Stevie said they were generally known. “See? It rhymes!” said Stevie, with enthusiasm. The dog waited in the car, while Inside, Stevie helped Charlie select what looked like the biggest bag of dog food ever made–“This stuff is the best! She’s gonna love this”—a metal bowl, a doggie collar with an as-yet blank dog tag, and a leash. “While you’re at it, you’re gonna want to get some doggie bags… for when she goes poo-poo on a walk.” Charlie found Stevie’s instructions and suggestions reassuring and amusing, though the prospect of stocking up on dog supplies seemed premature, as this was not his dog. Yet something told him to go ahead anyway, and as with everything that seemed to be unfolding, he found that being open seemed to be the right idea.
The drive back to Charlie’s place was uneventful, and soon they were parked. “Okay, Charlie,” Stevie continued, in his patient and enthused teacherly manner, “Now what we’re gonna do is put the dog collar on her, and then you can practice walking her around the front lawn on the leash, okay?”
“Rightio,” agreed Charlie.
The dog was agreeable to the plan, and panted happily while boy and man affixed her collar around her neck. Momentarily, Charlie was holding the dog by the leash, and trotting on the grass. It moved willingly and easily, as if it was used to leashed.
“I wonder what her name is,” mused Charlie.
After a pause, Stevie suggested, “You could name her. I mean, if she doesn’t have a name.”
Charlie scratched his chin as he considered. “Well, I will tell you this… she likes flowers. That’s for sure.” A small pang of guilt swept over him. “A little too much I guess for Nan’s rose bush.” He chuckled, and then an idea struck him.
“Rose. I’ll name her Rose. After the bush she was trying to dig up.”
And that’s how Charlie’s dog got her name.