Mission: The Leap of Time.
Filed by: Agent Bella, Senior Agility Analyst (SAA).
Status: Fully airborne.
It began, as most great things do, with a wobble.
When I first joined the household, the couch was Mountain Impossible. A soft, towering fortress guarded by gravity and Claire’s “No, Bella, not yet.” I remember placing one paw, then another, testing the strange, shifting surface. My hind legs trembled with uncertainty. The world below seemed miles away. But oh, the victory when I made it! Half on, half off, tail wagging like a victory flag.
Fast-forward twelve months.
Now? I fly.
No hesitation. No wobble. From a full meter away, I spring onto the couch like a furry missile of purpose. Claire says, “You’re going to hurt yourself one day.” I say nothing. (Because I’m too busy executing flawless landings.)
And the doghouse? Once a place to curl up and dream? It’s now my broadcast tower. I perch on top like a correspondent reporting from the field.
“Breaking news!” I bark over the fence. “They had roast chicken—and I got NONE.”
The neighbour dogs gasp. Somewhere, a spaniel faints.
Confidence. Balance. Timing. These are the marks of a seasoned agent.
Claire often watches me with that soft, faraway look humans get when they’re thinking about things too big to say out loud. She remembers when my paws were clumsy, when stairs were puzzles, and when I’d run so fast, my back legs tried to overtake my front ones. She laughs at the memory—but there’s a trace of something else there, too.
She tells me I’ve grown more in a year than her child will in fourteen. In twelve short months, I’ve transformed from cautious explorer to fearless acrobat.
And though she doesn’t say it, I can feel the thought ripple through her heart: that my time will run faster than hers. That one day, these leaps and bounds will slow.
But then she smiles, scratches behind my ear, and says softly,
“Not today, Bella. Today, you fly.”
And I do.
Because that’s what a year of love, trust, and roast chicken denial does to a dog—it teaches her that life is short, but the leaps are worth it.
Filed conclusion:
Agent Bella recommends immediate celebration of agility gains with treats, applause, and possibly roast chicken (in moderation).
End of report.
