Ahem. I have a somewhat embarrassing tale to relate. Embarrassing for me, anyway.
Perhaps you remember my stories of Juno, our live-wire rescue pup. And how I stand beside the porch and hug her every evening. How she can barely contain her excitement, except for the ability to stand stock still while I hug her for about thirty seconds.
Last week, I was in mid-hug, letting Juno bury her face in the inside of my jacket while she trembled with love during our daily reunion. Then it happened. I couldn't process it until it was over. Shows you what can happen in an instant.
I had a DOG NOSE IN MY MOUTH!
A wet, Juno dog nose. She lovingly raised her head to sniff closer to my face, and I was in mid-sentence, telling her what a good puppy she was, talking about her starving puppy days. I think my scream startled her just a bit. She backed off, front legs low, ready to pounce on any opportune object. And I was saved by The Pony. Juno wheeled around and dug her toenails into the cedar porch and shot toward him like a black furry rocket.
I know how Lucy Van Pelt felt in A Charlie Brown Christmas. "I've been kissed by a dog!" Indeed. But I don't think Lucy got a french kiss from Snoopy.
4 comments:
And the places that nose has been...Wherever that nose had nosed around, your mouth has been there, too now--thanks to Juno.
Sioux,
Yes. Unfortunately, the first place that comes to mind is another dog's butt.
They say a dogs mouth is cleaner than a human's. I hope that helps.
Kathy,
I just saw a report about a kid who did a study on that for a science project. Humans and dogs have different kinds of bacteria in their mouths. Dogs have fewer kinds, all theirs being the ones found in a canine's digestive tract. Humans have more kinds of bacteria. Overall, the total amount of bacteria was about the same. At least in this kid's science project.
Which does not exactly negate the horror of my experience. HOWEVER...Juno's mouth was shut. It was her wet nose that touched my tongue, not her very own tongue. So it was just dog snot, not dog saliva, that crossed my cellular membranes to circulate through my bloodstream.
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