no thoughts just basset hound dad aldo
š¾ aldo who "chose the breed for practical reasons"āits strong nose, its calm temperament, the fact that it won't run too far, that he needs a good watchdog. aldo who tells people that it's "real sturdy", slapping its back gently like the hood of a car. aldo who told himself he had the space in his cabin, so he might as well.
Ā š¾ aldo who actually fell in love with the sad eyes and droopy ears and the fact that it looks like it's been through something from birth. aldo who softened like warm butter because he knows what it's like to be underestimated or treated like a joke. aldo who was gone the moment he saw a basset puppy waddling and tripping over itself and wagging its tail cluelessly.
Ā š¾ aldo who can't come up with a good dog name to save his life, so he calls it "dog" or "mutt" or "boy" for a while, and then "lunchpail" or "cornbread" or "shitkicker" before he picks something that sticks. aldo who pretends it annoys him when the basset follows him everywhere, but he never makes it move and always looks over his shoulder to make sure it's still there. aldo who can't yet understand how nice it feels to have something to depend on him, something to love.
Ā š¾ aldo who hikes through the hollers and the switchbacks and the mountain trails he's known since childhood with his basset following behind. aldo who talks to the dogānothing sweet, just commentaryātelling it that the "world's full of loud fools" and there "ain't much goin' on today" and "you'd hate the army". aldo who grins when he hears the dog sniffing the earth behind him.
Ā š¾ aldo who checks its paws after every walk and says "don't look at me like that" when he rubs oil into its paw pads. aldo who carries the dog across streams when the water's too deep for its stubby legs. aldo who trips and falls in once and curses the "damn thing", but can't help laughing when it licks the water off his chin.
Ā š¾ aldo who claims the dog won't sleep anywhere but his bedābut really, he needs the weight and the warmth and the rising-and-falling chest against his legs. aldo who makes a stool for the basset to help it hop up easier. aldo who loves finally having a buddy who snores as loud as him, who can't sleep half as well when it's not there.
Ā š¾ aldo who trusts the basset to alert him when revenuers or klan affiliates come sniffing around the cabin. aldo who lets the dog smell-test his moonshine...and even gives it a little taste on occasion. aldo who always makes sure the dog is fed better than he is, and then makes excuses when it starts getting fat.
Ā š¾ aldo who realizes the dog protects him. aldo who notices how it stays by his feet and growls when strange men stare at him and his knife and the scar on his neck when he goes into town. aldo who murmurs "good boy" once they're alone...and means everything by it.
2087
gummygunk
stormborns
snowghoul
blakekathryn
germansingergirl
