Bezpłatny fragment - The Adventures of Richard and Denya

Chapter 1. Hello, Puppy

Let me tell you a story about a little fluffy puppy and how it came to live in our home.

It was a gloomy, rainy day when I met this small, wonderful miracle. In a tiny red hat, my husband brought home a cute little animal. Only a black, wet nose peeked out from under the hat. Curiosity filled me, and when I came closer, I saw a ball of fur as white as snow. Looking more carefully, I realized with delight that it was a tiny puppy, curled up and peacefully sleeping in the hat, completely unaware that today it had found a new home. Our house wasn’t very big, but it was cozy and bright — always filled with warmth, love, and care.

We placed the puppy on the sofa so it could rest. It was very small and fragile. We prepared a special sleeping spot for it — a soft, fluffy blue cushion beside our bed. We hoped that our little guest would like his new bed.

Before long, the fluffy white ball woke up. The puppy looked a bit surprised and began to wander around, sniffing everything with curiosity. Everything here was new and unfamiliar — and at times, a little frightening. There were tall pieces of furniture and many strange smells. We had prepared some tasty treats for our guest. Following the scent of the snack, the puppy bumped into a huge chair but was too interested in the food to pay it any attention. Everything in this new world — including us — was an adventure for him.

He explored the kitchen with great enthusiasm. Our kitchen was small and bright, with only a few cupboards, a small stove, and a kitchen table with chairs. There was also a gray sofa where we liked to sit and drink tea. We placed a special dish we had bought just for him. I must say, my husband had thought of everything in advance — there was already some tasty food in the bowl and a bit of warm milk, since our puppy was still very young and needed it. The little one was delighted by the meal. He wagged his tail happily as he filled his tummy. Soon the dish was empty, and our small guest looked like a big round ball. He had eaten so much that he could hardly move, so he lay down and fell asleep right next to his bowl. It made us smile.

We spent quite some time thinking about what to name this wonderful little puppy. Then, suddenly, a funny name came to mind — Richard. Why that name? We can’t really explain, because to tell the story, we’d first have to understand it ourselves. The name simply found its owner. A long time ago, in some movie, I saw a beautiful big Labrador named Richard. To be honest, our white little ball of fur looked very much like him. And that’s how our new guest got his name.

We started calling him Richard. The puppy wagged his tail joyfully and looked around the room with interest. After a short nap following his hearty meal, our Richard decided to explore the bedroom. Our bedroom was simple — a low bed, a wardrobe, and a writing desk. A soft gray rug with long fibers lay on the floor. Richard sniffed everything carefully and examined every corner. Then he noticed a small pillow near the bed, but his reaction was rather funny — it seemed that Richard didn’t like the pillow at all and proudly avoided it, lifting his little head high as he walked past.

We quietly watched as young Richard explored the room. Suddenly, he disappeared from sight and went silent. We didn’t realize at first that our little friend had already left us a surprise — he had hidden away to go to the toilet.

We looked around for him and soon saw Richard walking out of the kitchen with his head proudly raised, leaving tiny wet footprints behind. We stared at him in surprise, not immediately understanding where the water had come from. To be honest, we hadn’t expected him to make a little puddle in the corner of the kitchen. Having finished his business, he calmly continued his exploration.

When I went into the kitchen, I found the little puddle, but I wasn’t upset at all — after all, the floor was covered with linoleum, so cleaning didn’t take long. He was still so small and didn’t understand that this wasn’t the right place. In his old home, he could do whatever he wanted, but now he had to learn to use a special spot. We didn’t have a dog pen like the one in his previous home, so we had to solve this problem ourselves.

I brought a small puppy training pad and placed it where he had made the puddle. Richard came over, sniffed it, and walked away, unimpressed. It must have seemed strange to him. Still, we were happy that our little guest felt comfortable in our home. We gave him full freedom to explore every corner.

After so many new adventures, Richard seemed to grow tired and decided to rest. He lay down near the sofa on the cool linoleum floor, his little paws stretched out in all directions as if they were in his way. Watching this tiny ball of happiness was pure joy. Even then, it was clear that Richard had a proud and complex character. We tried not to overwhelm him — after all, this was a big change for him. Most likely, he loved nothing more than eating and sleeping and didn’t really miss his brothers or sisters. He had experienced so many new things in just one day — a new home, many new smells, and two unfamiliar people who suddenly became his family.

“Sweet dreams, Richard,” I whispered softly, placing the red hat over his back to keep him warm. The puppy kept snoring quietly. I only hoped he liked it here with us. I’ve always loved animals, and I instantly fell in love with his stubborn little personality and adorable ways.

Chapter 2. Chaos in the Kitchen

I happily drifted off to sleep in my warm, cozy bed. It had been a delightful day. But suddenly, a loud, unbearable noise woke me in the middle of the night. Everything in the kitchen was rattling, as if a group of burglars had broken in and were frantically searching for something valuable. I was terrified — by nature, I’m very afraid of the dark, and hearing such a clatter at night sent shivers down my spine. My heart dropped, and cold goosebumps ran all over my body. Somewhere in that kitchen, our little miracle was asleep — and that made my thoughts even more dreadful.

“Wake up, honey. Something’s happening in the kitchen. I’m scared,” I whispered, trying to wake my husband. That was no easy task — once he’s asleep, waking him is a real challenge. The noise kept growing louder. I gently tugged on his arm.

“What’s going on?” my husband mumbled sleepily, sitting up in bed.

“There’s some noise in the kitchen. I’m scared for Richard.”

“I’ll deal with that noise,” he said gruffly, slipping on his slippers, still half-asleep.

Hiding behind his broad back, I followed him step by step toward the kitchen door. The closer we got, the faster my heart was pounding.

When he opened the door, we were both shocked. Everything was upside down — plates and pots scattered across the kitchen floor. There was no sign of Richard.

“Where’s Richard?” I asked, frantically scanning the room with my eyes. While I searched for the puppy, my husband calmly switched on the light.

“Richard, where are you?” we called out, picking up dishes and pots from the floor. When my husband lifted the largest pot, we finally found our little culprit. Richard had been hiding underneath it! The tiny puppy wagged his tail excitedly and started jumping in place the moment he saw us.

“There you are, you little troublemaker…” my husband said, shaking his finger at him with a half-smile before picking Richard up and stroking him gently.

“How could such a tiny puppy make such a huge mess?” I wondered aloud, amazed by the chaos before us.

There was no mystery — it was all very simple. I hadn’t properly closed the kitchen cupboard with the dishes. Our curious little explorer had climbed inside and sent everything flying.

“You must’ve been hungry, and that’s why you made all this trouble,” my husband said, looking down at Richard. He set the puppy back on the floor. Richard, as if he understood, picked up his bowl in his teeth and stood still, waiting for a treat. I must admit, it looked quite funny.

“Look how adorable he is,” I said with a heartfelt smile.

My husband didn’t answer — he just took the bowl from Richard’s mouth and gently petted his cheeky little face.

We warmed up some milk in the microwave and poured it into his dish. Richard happily drank it, lifting his hind legs as he slurped. It looked both strange and irresistibly cute. The bowl was soon empty, and we tidied up the kitchen in the meantime.

“He really is such a funny little one,” I said, watching the round-bellied Richard contentedly licking his muzzle.

“Yes, a true little miracle,” my husband replied, yawning.

“Let’s go back to bed. I’ve closed everything properly this time — no more night adventures.”

Richard lay down to sleep right next to his bowl, his paws stretched out in all directions.

Chapter 3. Richard at the Vet

After our night-time adventures, we woke up early in the morning to take Richard to the vet for the first time. It was an important day for us — we needed to get his medical documents and make sure he was healthy, as we were a bit worried. Richard was still fast asleep and didn’t want to go anywhere, but the smell of delicious food and warm milk quickly woke our little one. As you might have guessed, he loved to eat. And that was no surprise — he was still very small. It seemed he could eat endlessly, if not for his tiny belly that couldn’t fit it all. We loved watching him eat, wagging his tail happily.

Once our little puppy had turned into a round, fluffy ball, we gave him a bit of time to do his business before we left — so there wouldn’t be any “surprises” on the road.

We didn’t overthink it — we simply carried him in the same red hat as before. Though now, he barely fit inside, as he was growing by the hour.

It seemed he enjoyed traveling in that red hat, even though now it only covered his little body. After his hearty breakfast, Richard fell asleep peacefully while we were driving to the vet. It was the sweetest thing — nothing in the world could look more beautiful than a sleeping puppy.

The veterinary clinic was warm and welcoming. The walls were covered with pictures of happy animals, and a kind woman greeted us. As it turned out, she was the veterinarian herself. She smiled when she saw the adorable puppy sleeping in my husband’s arms.

“Good morning! We came for a check-up. We’d like to register him and learn about vaccinations for our little one,” I said, curiously looking around at all the animal posters.

“Of course. This will only take a few minutes. And what’s this sweet patient’s name?” the doctor asked kindly. For some reason, Richard didn’t seem to like her at first — he was nervous and didn’t want her to touch him. Everything changed when the nice doctor brought him a treat. No, it’s not that Richard would do anything for food — he just seemed to like her.

“My name is Victoria. I’ll be your veterinarian,” the friendly doctor said, offering him the treat. Now our puppy wasn’t so scared anymore — wagging his tail, he playfully munched on it.

Of course, Richard didn’t answer her, but it was clear he trusted her more now. The doctor examined him carefully and concluded that he was perfectly healthy. While my husband filled out all the necessary paperwork, I watched my puppy with affection. He tried to climb off the metal table where my husband had placed him for the check-up. Richard paced along the edge, looking for a better way to jump down. The table was too high, and he hesitated. I didn’t dare to pick him up or even pet him. To be honest, I’m quite the coward sometimes.

“We’ll need to bring Richard back for his vaccination in a few weeks. For now, he should eat well and gain some strength,” my husband said after speaking with the doctor. She had set a date for his next visit, when she would examine him again and give him his shots. My husband lifted Richard into his arms once more. I wanted to hold him too, but didn’t have the courage. I love animals deeply, but I get attached so quickly — and it’s always hard when they leave.

“It looks like Richard liked the doctor,” I told my husband on our way home. Believe it or not, Richard was already asleep again. Traveling tired him out quickly. That was typical for him — he would eat, nap, play a little, and then eat and sleep again. He was just like a baby.

Chapter 4. Richard and the Cutlets

Let me tell you, Richard was a truly curious little dog. It was one of those evenings when my beloved husband was the one cooking dinner. No one in the whole world could prepare meat better than he could. Usually, when he cooked something meaty, I made the salad and the side dish. That night, my husband was making pork cutlets. At first, while the food was cooking, Richard paid no attention to us at all — he was busy trying to tear a piece off the sofa. He growled softly and stomped his tiny paws.

That might have gone on for quite a while, if not for the delicious smell of the cutlets sizzling on the hot frying pan.

Richard immediately abandoned the sofa and began jumping around my husband’s legs, begging for a taste. My husband looked down at him and said with a smile:

“You can’t have that, little buddy. You’re still too small. It’ll make your tummy hurt.”

But Richard didn’t care at all — he kept jumping and wagging his tail excitedly.

“Look how much he wants a cutlet,” I said, kneeling beside Richard. The puppy cheerfully trotted past me. It was the first time he had come up to me on his own. Even though his goal was to get a treat, I was still touched.

“He can’t eat that kind of food, especially fried,” my husband said firmly and went on cooking.

“Maybe we could boil a little bit of minced meat for him?” I suggested, taking Richard’s side — even for me, the smell was mouthwatering. So just imagine what it was like for him, with his sharp nose!

“I think I’ll boil him a small piece,” my husband said thoughtfully. “But first, he needs to eat his proper food.”

He had already put a small pot of water on the stove to cook Richard’s meat. My husband was such a smart and caring man — always thinking ahead and so kind-hearted.

“Good,” I said happily, almost like a child. Richard, as if understanding every word, sat down by his bowl, waiting patiently for the tasty meat. But his patience didn’t last long. First, he sat. Then, he lay down and rested his nose on the floor.

“What a clever boy,” my husband said, pouring food into Richard’s bowl and adding some warm milk. But the puppy didn’t start eating — he just kept watching my husband with a serious little face.

“Look at him — he’s waiting for the meat,” I said with delight, watching the puppy.

“Then he’ll have to wait until it cools down, and we’ll start our dinner,” my husband replied, setting the table.

“Yes,” I said quickly, helping him serve dinner. We sat down and began to eat. Richard started barking and jumping impatiently, demanding his portion. It made us laugh.

“Well, he’s got your personality,” my husband said teasingly.

“What?!” I asked in surprise, since I hadn’t really gotten to know the puppy well yet — I hadn’t even dared to pet him properly.

“You’re the same way — stubborn when you want something tasty,” he said with a grin.

I couldn’t argue with that. I smiled, enjoying the cutlet.

Richard, having worn himself out barking, finally lay down on the floor with a sad expression, silently watching us eat. It broke my heart.

“All right,” my husband said finally and crumbled some of the boiled meat into Richard’s bowl.

The moment Richard caught the scent, he leapt up and began eating happily. Now we could all have dinner together.

“How sweet,” I said softly, touched by the scene.

Richard finished every last crumb and lay down by his bowl, falling fast asleep.

Chapter 5. Richard and the Flower Vase

The days went by, and soon Richard became more playful and gentle.

I was sitting at my computer, working on my new book. Richard was running around the kitchen, making noise as usual, and I paid no attention — that was just how he played. But then I heard the sharp sound of breaking glass. I jumped up from my chair and hurried to the kitchen.

Little Richard was sitting beside a shattered flower vase, sniffing the flowers. I can’t even describe how scared I was for my little one — there was glass and water everywhere. It seemed that Richard understood he shouldn’t move; he just sat there, more interested in the flowers scattered on the floor. He even tried to taste them. Carefully, I picked him up and carried him to the sofa. So he wouldn’t get bored, I gave him a rose to play with. He started growling and barking, tearing off the petals and scattering them around. He jumped and played so joyfully. Poor flower — it didn’t survive the day. How Richard managed to knock over that vase, I’ll never know — it had been standing safely on the table.

“You’re just a little wonder,” I said, smiling at this mischievous fluffball. I gathered up the flowers and glass shards, then wiped the floor dry. Meanwhile, Richard lay down and watched me as if he were studying what I was doing.

Chapter 6. Richard and the Pillow

Richard was growing fast — almost by the hour — and soon our fluffy boy no longer fit into his old red hat. Now he often slept by our bed, though for some reason, he didn’t like the pillow we had made for him. It was blue, soft, and furry. Perhaps the puppy saw it as an enemy, and one day, he decided to take revenge on it.

It was one of those days when I was busy cooking something tasty in the kitchen, completely lost in my thoughts. I could hear Richard running and chewing on something, but I had no idea what he was up to — until I walked into the bedroom and saw the pillow torn to pieces, its stuffing scattered all over the room.

Proudly, Richard was pulling out more filling from the destroyed pillow, growling at it like a hero who had defeated a great enemy. I couldn’t even be upset — I was too charmed by his enthusiasm, though of course, I was the one who had to clean everything up.

“Oh, you silly boy — that’s your bed pillow!” I said with a laugh. Richard wagged his tail and rolled on his back in the fluffy mess. But the real issue wasn’t the pillow — he had simply grown used to sleeping wherever he pleased.

A little later, my husband came home and, hearing what had happened, was amazed at how energetic our puppy was.

Chapter 7. Richard and the Collar

The long-awaited morning arrived. That day, we were finally going to take Richard for his first walk outside. We had bought him a cute little lilac-colored collar so that in the future, we could take him on long walks in the park.

“All right, handsome boy, let’s try on your new collar,” my husband said, kneeling down beside Richard and patting his head. He fastened the collar quickly and gently, so that our little one barely noticed it at first. Once the collar was on, my husband let Richard run around on the green grass in the park — though not too far, since Richard had a habit of picking up everything he found on the ground and could easily swallow a pebble or munch on grass.

The days passed, and our little one grew and matured. Before long, Richard had gotten used to both his collar and his walks. And, I’ll tell you a secret — after a few days, I finally dared to pet him.

It took me only a few days to fall in love with this sweet, kind puppy. He wasn’t like either of us — his character was proud, and his spirit was playful.

Chapter 8. Richard and the Toe

Richard had already settled comfortably into our home and now acted like its true master. Our little puppy could do whatever he pleased. I can’t say he stopped stealing socks entirely, but at least he did it less often. Lately, however, his main fascination was with toes — more precisely, my husband’s toes.

One day, my husband was lying on the couch, fast asleep. One of his feet was hanging off the edge — and of course, he wasn’t wearing socks.

I was busy with chores around the house when I suddenly heard a loud cry. I rushed to the kitchen — and what a sight I saw! Our fluffy little ball of mischief named Richard was biting my husband’s big toe while my husband yelled in pain.

Let me tell you — it was both shocking and hilarious. I didn’t know whether to laugh or panic. On one hand, I understood Richard — he loved to chew things. On the other hand, I understood my husband — that must have hurt!

Startled, my husband quickly pulled his foot away, and then something unexpected happened. Richard began to whimper and paw at his muzzle.

“Sweetheart, something’s wrong. Richard’s acting strange,” I said, worried.

“Let me see,” my husband replied, picking the puppy up. It turned out that when my husband yanked his toe out of Richard’s mouth, he had accidentally knocked out one of Richard’s teeth.

Now poor Richard was in pain, and we had no idea what to do. We didn’t even know that dogs could lose teeth like children do. I grabbed my phone and quickly called our vet.

“Hello, good afternoon, Victoria. Something unfortunate happened. Our puppy lost a tooth, and it’s bleeding — what should we do?” I said, panicked.

The veterinarian calmly replied,

“It’s all right. Bring your puppy in — I’ll take a look.”

My husband was speechless. He felt terribly guilty — because of him, Richard had lost one of his tiny upper canine teeth. We didn’t know if it would grow back. We packed up quickly and called a taxi. Of course, Richard was now too big for his favorite red hat, so we wrapped him in a small yellow blanket instead. The little one was quiet and sad — nothing like his usual self.

The whole ride there, neither of us said a word. We were both anxious and scared for our little puppy.

When we arrived, the veterinarian smiled gently.

“Well, let’s see what happened here,” she said as she began to examine Richard. The puppy pulled away and didn’t want her to touch him. Though the doctor was kind, Richard started baring his teeth and growling.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’m just here to help,” she said softly, trying to open his mouth carefully. But Richard was too clever for that — he darted around the examination table, refusing to cooperate. After a few failed attempts, the vet sighed.

“All right, one of you will have to hold him still so I can check his tooth,” she said, looking at my husband. He didn’t argue — he simply picked Richard up and held him firmly.

“Well, what do we have here?” the vet said after a moment. “It’s nothing serious. The tooth will grow back soon. Don’t worry. Here’s some medicine to ease the pain. Just don’t give him anything hard to chew for a while. When the new tooth comes in, he can go back to his favorite snacks.” She smiled and patted Richard on the head.

“You know, Doctor,” my husband said guiltily, “he was chewing on my toe, and I accidentally pulled away too fast. I never thought I could hurt him like that.”

The veterinarian chuckled. “You’re not the first. I’ve even had cases where hamsters broke their teeth biting their owners’ hands. It happens!” She gently pressed a small cotton pad against the puppy’s gum and wrote down a few instructions.

Before long, Richard perked up again, wagging his tail.

“I was so worried his tooth wouldn’t grow back,” my husband said with relief, wrapping Richard in the blanket.

The vet explained how to clean the small wound with a special solution and reminded us not to give him hard food for a few days. Then she let us go home.

“You silly boy,” I said to Richard, half-scolding, half-laughing.

“My God, I was so worried his tooth would never grow back,” my husband said again. His toe still hurt, but our puppy had certainly made an impression. And you know what? As soon as Richard’s new tooth started to grow, he went right back to chewing on toes — this time, on our hands instead. But that, of course, is another story.

Chapter 9. Richard and the First Guest

It was one of those days when we had invited a guest over. My husband’s mother was coming to visit us — to have some coffee, chat, and spend a little time together. We hadn’t told her that we had a dog, because she was afraid of them. And even though Richard was an adorable puppy, he was still, after all, a dog.

At first, my husband and I agreed that we’d keep Richard in the bedroom while his mother was here — just so he wouldn’t scare her.

I made the bedroom nice and cozy for Richard so he wouldn’t get bored. I left him plenty of toys and, of course, a few treats. Richard seemed happy at first, but he gave me a suspicious look. He clearly didn’t understand why I was closing the door — that had never happened before. Normally, he could wander freely around the apartment as he pleased.

I prepared a cup of coffee for myself and a cup of hot black tea for my mother-in-law, along with some cookies. We sat down in the kitchen to talk while my husband went out to take care of some errands.

“It’s been so long since I last visited you! Tell me, what’s new? What’s been going on?” Oksana asked cheerfully.

“Nothing exciting, really. Everything’s the same — working, studying, living quietly,” I replied. “Just recently…”

I suddenly remembered the tooth story but stopped myself.

“What happened recently?” Oksana asked with curiosity.

“Oh, nothing serious — it just slipped my mind,” I said quickly, trying to change the subject. “Tell me about you! How are things? How’s work?”

But you know, our mischievous Richard never could stay quiet for long. Before we knew it, strange growling and clattering sounds began coming from the bedroom.

“What’s that noise?” Oksana asked, standing up and heading toward the sound. I didn’t manage to stop her, and the bedroom door opened. Her face showed both shock and amazement at the same time.

“I can explain!” I began — though honestly, what could I say? It was a dog. That explained everything.

The moment Richard saw the open door, he bolted straight to the kitchen — to his food bowl, of course. We had thought of everything except removing his bowl from sight. And that’s how our little secret was revealed.

Let’s just say my mother-in-law left the house in record time — without saying a single word. It seemed that Richard’s charm hadn’t worked on her.

I immediately called my husband, panicked, and told him what had happened — but all I heard was laughter. He already knew: his mother had called him first and told him the story herself. As it turned out, Richard’s charm had worked after all — she hadn’t run away out of fear. She had gone to buy him treats.

Just a few hours later, she was back — carrying a big bag full of dog goodies.

“You left so suddenly without saying a word — I was sure you were frightened of Richard,” I said apologetically. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you we had a puppy. You came by so unexpectedly that we didn’t have time to prepare you.”

Oksana smiled warmly. “You know, I’m afraid of big dogs, but I actually love small, gentle ones.” She opened the bag — it was full of bones and chew toys. Unfortunately, there was a small problem: Richard still had a missing tooth, so he couldn’t eat anything hard.

“Thank you so much,” I said, “but something happened recently — Richard broke a tooth.”

“Oh no! How did that happen?” she asked sadly, setting the bag on the table.

“Well,” I began carefully, “Richard was playing with your son’s toe, and Sasha pulled his foot away too quickly — and accidentally knocked out one of Richard’s teeth. The vet said it’s fine, the new tooth will grow soon, but for now he can’t chew anything hard.”

Just then, Richard came trotting in, sniffing the air — he had smelled the treats. Oksana and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. It was funny and a little sad at the same time.

I took one of the soft treats I had bought earlier and handed it to Richard. He happily grabbed it and ran off to play — tail wagging, as always.

Chapter 10. Richard Takes a Bath

Richard had been living with us for quite some time, and one day we decided it was finally time to give him a bath. We didn’t really know how to do it properly, but we thought that if we filled our small bathtub with warm water, Richard might enjoy it.

We knew that Labradors usually love water and swimming, but we hadn’t had the chance to bathe him yet. We prepared everything — including a big, soft terry towel that we had bought just for Richard.

While I filled the tub with warm water, my husband tried to catch him. Of course, the puppy thought it was a game and started running around. Eventually, my husband managed to grab him and brought him into the bathroom. Richard wriggled and tried to escape — clearly, he had no idea what was about to happen, but he was already suspicious.

“Lower him into the water slowly — start with his paws so he can feel the warm water first,” I told my husband, checking the temperature one last time. It was just right.

“All right, don’t worry, I’ll go slow,” he said, carefully lowering Richard into the tub, starting with his little paws.

The moment Richard’s feet touched the water, he began splashing and moving them rapidly, as if he were trying to swim. It seemed to come naturally — the Labrador instincts were already there, though we hadn’t been sure they would be.

Soon he was completely in the water, paddling happily. Our little one was thrilled — he splashed and kicked with joy. At first, my husband held him gently under his belly to help him stay afloat, but after a while he realized that Richard could swim on his own and let go.

Then the unexpected happened — Richard dove under the water! We both panicked.

“Quick, get him out!” I shouted, trying to reach for him. But before we could do anything, Richard popped back up, shaking off the water as if nothing had happened. It seemed he had simply wanted to see what was under the surface.

I must admit — that was the first and last time I ever bathed him myself. Moments like that were too nerve-racking for me. But my husband burst out laughing. He understood right away that our Richard was a true water-lover — a real diver at heart.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, he just wanted to look under the water,” my husband said with a grin, watching Richard paddle from one end of the tub to the other.

“You have no idea how scared I was when he went under!” I said, clutching my chest. And right at that moment, as if he had heard me, Richard dove again! My nerves couldn’t take it anymore. I grabbed the towel — that was enough adventure for one day. My husband, of course, found the whole thing even funnier.

“I’ll get the towel, and we’ll finish his bath. Too much time in the water isn’t good for him — he’s still just a baby,” I said, spreading the towel out on the bathroom floor.

My husband lifted Richard out of the tub and set him on the towel. Since I’m not exactly the most careful person, my husband took over drying him. He gently wiped Richard’s ears, then his face, then his little front paws.

But the mischief wasn’t over. Suddenly, Richard started shaking off water in every direction, spraying us both and the entire bathroom. Then he grabbed the towel and began a playful tug-of-war with my husband. My husband tried to pull it back, and Richard growled playfully, refusing to let go.

“Be careful, dear — he’s only got one tooth left,” I warned. My husband had clearly forgotten about that. And sure enough, in their little game, Richard lost his second tooth.

We felt terrible — our poor puppy was now missing both of his front canines! This time, though, we didn’t rush to the vet. We already knew what to do. Luckily, I had bought soft food in advance, so he could eat without trouble.

Now, when Richard growled, he didn’t look like a fierce dog at all — more like a baby with no front teeth. It was impossible not to smile.

“We could try drying him with the hair dryer,” I suggested, glancing at my husband, who was still holding the tiny tooth.

“Sure, let’s try,” he said, switching on the dryer. But the noise and warm air scared Richard. He jumped back, his tail tucked, so we immediately turned it off. We decided to let him dry naturally instead. He ran around the house, leaving little wet paw prints everywhere — but we didn’t mind. Despite losing his second tooth, Richard seemed cheerful and full of energy.

After his bath, we fed our fluffy round boy and let him do whatever he pleased. Richard curled up and fell asleep on the linoleum in the kitchen, looking perfectly content — as if missing two teeth didn’t bother him one bit.

Chapter 11. Richard and the Socks

About a week had passed since Richard had come to live with us. At first, I didn’t notice anything unusual, though little by little, things started disappearing from the laundry basket. I thought I was just being careless. For a brief moment, I even suspected that we had some sort of mysterious thief in the house. And the strangest thing of all — the missing items were always socks. No matter how many times I searched the entire house, I couldn’t find the missing pairs.

Of course, I know many people lose socks somehow — even those without a dog.

One evening, I realized something odd. I had put ten pairs of socks into the basket, and later several of them were gone. Don’t get me wrong — I don’t usually count socks, but this time I was sure. I looked suspiciously at Richard, but the puppy was lying on the kitchen floor, happily chewing on his rubber bone. I decided there must be a logical explanation and began quietly observing him.

Everything seemed perfectly normal — Richard played, slept, ate, and acted like the same sweet puppy as always. I told my husband about my observations and said it was strange that socks kept disappearing. It wouldn’t be a big deal if it were just one pair, but several had vanished, and I was sure I hadn’t lost them. Still, how could I prove something so ridiculous?

That night we went to bed as usual. My husband was feeling a bit cold, so he put on his favorite thick black socks. Since he liked to sleep only half-covered, one of his big feet stuck out from under the blanket. Richard curled up on his soft rug beside the bed and quickly fell asleep, snoring softly.

I dozed off soon after, but woke up later to a strange growling sound. At first, I thought Richard had found his toy and decided to play in the middle of the night. But when I opened my eyes, I saw something that made everything clear — Richard was tugging at my husband’s sock!

So that was it — the mysterious sock thief had been caught. My husband slept soundly, completely unaware of what was happening.

I decided not to move and pretended to be asleep, curious to see what my little rascal would do next. It took him quite a while to get the sock off that big foot, but he was determined and eventually managed to pull it free. Now that the mystery was solved, I still wanted to know — where did all the missing socks go? I’d looked everywhere and never found them.

I kept watching. After a short victory dance with his prize, Richard trotted toward the kitchen, carrying the sock in his mouth. I got up quietly and followed him. You can imagine my surprise when I saw him squeeze through a small hole in the sofa — a hole I hadn’t even noticed before. I was stunned. Apparently, he had torn part of the fabric and made himself a secret hiding place. I decided not to wake my husband — I would tell him in the morning.

We slept in that day, since it was the weekend. But my husband woke up before me and greeted me with alarming news:

“Wake up — Richard’s gone! I can’t find him anywhere!”

Half-asleep, I didn’t understand what was happening and completely forgot what I’d seen the night before.

“What are you talking about, dear? He must be somewhere in the house — he can’t have gone outside,” I said, still sleepy but confident.

“I’ve looked everywhere. He’s not even coming for his food — and you know he never refuses breakfast,” my husband said anxiously.

Then it hit me — the sofa!

“Darling,” I said with a smile, “you’re wearing only one sock.”

He looked down at his feet — and sure enough, he had only one sock on. He hadn’t noticed, since he was wearing his fuzzy slippers.

“Well, that’s strange… I don’t remember taking it off. Don’t tell me our little thief has struck again?”

That’s when he realized it — the sock thief was none other than Richard himself.

“You know,” I said, laughing, “last night while you were sleeping, I saw Richard sneaking your sock right off your foot. He even growled and chewed on your toes a bit, but you didn’t move a muscle!”

“That little trickster! Where do you think he’s hiding all of them?” my husband said, amused.