Sam

Nonfiction by Robert McEvily



I've been dogsitting a dog named Pepper since Thursday. She goes back to her owners tomorrow night. I'm not looking forward to giving her back.

She's a mutt, but she's mostly a Portuguese Water Dog. She barks at my vacuum. I walk her along the Hudson River and she makes me look cool, like a cool dog owner. She's well trained; she actually sits when I tell her to. We've had a lot of fun so far, and I plan to have a great walk tonight. The weather's mild - it's gonna be awesome! Then I'll let her eat some peanut butter. We'll watch CSI: Miami.

I don't like the name "Pepper." It's not a girl name. I'd call her "Sam." Androgynous. She's kind of guyish in her habits.

I hope dogs have memories. It bothers me to think she'll just forget about me.