Are you ready to meditate with Kari?
Are you ready to be very still and very very quiet and try and relax your body?
Take some nice big deep breaths.
Let go of your day.
It's time to relax.
Tucker and Leo had gone to the dog park.
Leo was not very impressed.
He really didn't like the dog park.
He wasn't impressed with when you got inside of the dog park,
How everybody ran up and sniffed you and he thought it was quite intrusive.
Ugh,
Not here again,
He said.
Why does every dog I meet insist on smelling my bum?
I don't get it,
Tucker said.
Come on Leo,
You know why,
That's how we all meet each other.
We say hello by sniffing each other's butts,
Don't we?
That's what we do.
We lick our faces and we smell our butts and that's what we do.
We just do that because we're dogs.
I don't think it's very appropriate,
Said Leo.
I'd like to keep my bum to myself,
Thank you very much.
I don't understand why everybody thinks they can just come up and,
You know,
Invade my privacy.
Tucker said,
Oh stop being so sensitive.
Just sit there with your mum if you don't want to do anything.
You could just watch.
I can't believe it,
Louis is here.
Tucker got very distracted very quickly.
They were in the dog park only because Louis was there.
Because if the dog park is full,
Then Tucker can't go to the dog park.
He gets way too excited and he wants to fight with all of the dogs.
He just doesn't understand that not every dog wants to play and then they get angry with him and then they fight and it's just a nightmare.
But on this particular day,
It was okay because Louis was there and Louis was a friendly dog that liked Tucker and they liked to play together.
Leo sat down next to his mum and just chewed on a ball.
Tucker was running everywhere.
All Tucker was saying over and over again was,
This is so much fun.
This is so much fun.
He was chasing tennis balls,
Catching frisbees,
Playing and wrestling and rolling around with Louis.
Louis had got very long hair and he was very fluffy and there was fur flying all over the place.
They stayed at the dog park for quite some time until eventually,
Tucker was all tuckered out and it was time to go home.
They walked all the way home with the mum and Tucker was on his best behaviour because he was so tired.
He didn't try and attack any squirrels or any cats.
He didn't want to chew on any babies.
He was a good boy.
The walk home was very,
Very delightful.
Leo was always a good boy when he walked.
He just kept himself to himself.
Looked up occasionally at people as they walked by but most of the time,
Leo really just couldn't care less who was there and who wasn't there.
When they got home,
Tucker was itchy.
I don't know why I can't stop scratching.
I can't stop scratching behind my ears and my bum really itches and everything itches,
My tail itches,
My paws itch.
I'm really itchy,
Leo.
Leo said,
Oh no,
Stay away from me.
Tucker said,
Come and give me a cuggle.
Leo said,
No,
Seriously.
Tucker,
Stay away from me.
It sounds like you have fleas.
Fleas?
How could I get fleas?
I've not been anywhere with fleas.
Leo said,
I bet you that long-haired Lewis has given you fleas.
Oh no,
What a fleas,
Said Tucker.
Leo said,
I am already itchy.
You know what I'm like.
I itch just by looking at something.
Do not come anywhere near me.
Fleas are like little animals that bite you and itch you.
They bite?
Oh no,
That sounds horrendous.
What do I do?
What do I do?
Leo said,
I think we need to tell mum.
Go scratch near mum a lot.
Tucker went over and started scratching a lot near mum.
A lot,
A lot,
A lot.
Mum didn't notice.
It went all day and all night and it was the next day.
Tucker kept going over to mum and scratching a lot,
A lot,
A lot,
A lot,
A lot.
Luckily,
One of the fleas flew off Tucker and bit mum on the ankle.
She saw it.
Fleas,
She screamed.
Oh no,
Tucker,
You have fleas.
Oh,
Thank goodness,
I've been trying to tell you for two days,
Said Tucker.
But of course,
Mum didn't understand.
It just looked like Tucker was scratching like a mad crazy dog.
Scratching,
Scratching,
Scratching,
Scratching his ears,
Biting on his back,
Scratching his paws.
He was scratching,
Scratching,
Scratching,
Scratching,
Scratching.
That's it,
She said.
We're going to have to wash you with some flea shampoo and you too,
Leo.
Leo swallowed deeply.
What?
I haven't been anywhere near him.
I don't have fleas.
We'll have to wash you both,
She said.
Sorry,
Leo.
Leo looked all shy and sleepish and he got small and slinked down and he tried to hide on his dog bed,
But it didn't work.
They had to be bathed in flea shampoo.
Tucker was very happy about it because he liked bath time.
I love it.
It's all wet.
I can lick it and I can lick it and I can splash and I can play and I can roll around in the water and it's so cold and it's so much fun and there's bubbles everywhere.
Leo didn't say a word.
He just sat there looking very,
Very unhappy and very disgusted.
This shampoo smells like pine.
It's awful,
Said Leo.
Tucker said,
I love it.
I love pine.
I love trees.
I love walking in the forest.
I like the smell of pine on me fur.
It makes me think that I'm outdoorsy.
You know,
Like I'm running through the forest and I'm free and I don't have me lead on and I don't have a collar on and I'm like a free bird just running through the forest and all I can smell is pine and fresh leaves and earth beneath my feet.
It smells so nice and so clean.
I like it.
What do you not like about it?
How can you not like the smell of pine,
Leo?
Leo said,
This is all your fault.
You insisted on rolling around all over the place with Lewis.
Lewis,
The flea bag dog,
Gave us fleas and because you have fleas,
Mum thinks I have fleas.
It's just not fair.
Tucker said,
It's all right,
Leo.
Just cheer up.
You know,
Even though you don't like having a bath,
It makes your fur feel nice and clean afterwards and it smells so clean and fresh and Mum wants to kiss us and hug us more than she normally does because you don't smell like a smelly old carpet.
You smell like nice clean pine.
After the bath,
They got rubbed down really,
Really well and they shook and shook and shook and shook and shook all the water all over the bathroom,
Which of course Tucker thought was hilarious and did over and over and over again.
Leo crept onto his bed,
Had his big puppy eyes and just looked miserable.
Tucker came and laid next to him and said,
It's all right,
Leo.
It's all over.
I know what.
I'll tell you a nice relaxing story.
You just close your eyes and I'll tell you a story and then that'll help you fall asleep and forget about all the trauma of being washed in flea shampoo that smells like pine.
Okay,
Close your eyes,
Leo.
Leo closed his eyes and Tucker decided to make up a story.
Once upon a time there was two dogs,
One called Leo.
He was very nice doggy,
A little bit miserable sometimes,
But a very nice doggy and one called Tucker.
Tucker was an awesome,
Fun,
Loving dog that bounced around like a deer in a forest.
Anyway,
These two dogs decided to go to the dog park and have lots of fun with all the other doggies.
The problem was though that Tucker liked to chew on doggies,
So he only could play with certain doggies because all the other doggies would turn around and fight with him.
Very aggressive they were.
So anyway,
They had a friend called Lewis.
Leo opened his eyes and said,
Lewis is not my friend.
Right,
Said Tucker.
Tucker had a friend called Lewis and he was playing with him in the dog park and they were having so much fun.
Just relax,
Leo,
Relax.
And they played and played and played and guess what?
He didn't get fleas.
Instead he got very tired.
Tucker got so tired that on the way home from the dog park,
Tucker didn't attack any squirrels and he didn't attack any small tiny puppies and he didn't attack any babies.
He liked babies.
So everybody thinks he'd attack a baby,
But he wouldn't.
He would just lick it and smell it because it smells so nice and sweet like candy.
Anyway,
Yeah,
So Tucker walked home very calmly and very nicely and he was a very nice dog to his brother Leo and he read Leo a story and Leo fell asleep in the end.
Leo opened one of his eyes again and said,
Thank you,
Tucker.
That was a very nice story.
Tucker said,
I know I'm good at stories.
Anyway,
Close your eyes and go to sleep and relax,
Relax.
Today is gone.
No more pine shampoo.
It's all gone.
You can relax.
Just sleep,
Sleep.
Sleep.
You You You You You
