By Iddris Seidu

Soothie is a hulk. He is big and ferocious, and a companion to hang on to when Michaela is alone. She finds his presence so comforting when her husband is away from home. It’s like he understands the situation, and takes control of the house in the absence of Frank.

Michaela says that Soothie takes a quick walk around the house and checks if anything is amiss. It’s like he has got a thinking logical mind. Michaela was surprised once when Soothie showed restiveness in the kitchen. He was barking and pacing up and down. When Michaela went in, she found the gas was leaking. “May be it was something else that disturbed Soothie, but it was so much on cue that the coincidence cannot be overlooked.”

In another incident, Soothie brought to the notice of Michaela the front door was not locked. The door locked in two stages. Usually, the door locked in the first click, and the second click ensured the door was locked fast. “But something was wrong with the knob and the door did not lock in the first click, and without knowing this I left it like that.” Soothie found this out and informed me in his language about the problem.

Soothie is taken out for walks every evening. If Frank is busy, then Michaela takes him out. She does not mind to go for long walks in the beach, because with Soothie by her side nobody will dare mess with her. She is very confident about it.

Not only is he big, he looks terrifying as well. His eyes are fearless and his fangs can send shudder down even the steeliest of spines. There are times when he grimaces, and “trust me, even I get scared.” Despite all this, Soothie is not a bully in any sense of the word. He maintains a quiet decorum, even when other dogs bark at him and strain leashes in a bellicose manner. He is dignified.

Michaela does not remember any instance when he has bitten someone. That’s the kind of nice dog he is. But he has barked and blustered people into submission. Once, Michaela was walking on the pavement along the beach when a jogger came towards her direction. He was only trying to avoid a pit in his path, but came too close to Michaela, and Soothie, thinking Michaela is being attacked, sprang to her defense, enervating the poor jogger. Michaela had a tough time holding back the dog from chasing the jogger.

Soothie is also playful at times. He runs in affected manners, like doing subtle dance. He hops in a rhythm. For Michaela, Soothie is a hero and an entertainer.