Pet Peeves

Donna Barclay tells Connie that the changes in her family have made life feel anything but normal. George has entered seminary and studies constantly, while Mary’s pregnancy often leaves her ill. Donna longs for something simple and predictable. At that moment, a stray dog escapes into Whit’s End for the third time. Connie calls the pound, but Donna immediately wants to adopt him.

George opposes adding a dog when the family already has a cat and so many new responsibilities. Donna invokes the Barclays’ family-meeting rules. George and Mary hold two votes each, while Donna and Jimmy have one apiece. Donna and Jimmy vote yes, George casts both his votes against the idea, and Mary unexpectedly gives the deciding two votes to the children. George is outvoted.

At the pound, the staff calls the dog Rascal because of his repeated escapes. Donna renames him Harry before George has even seen him. Harry is a rough-looking mixed breed with yellowish eyes and lips caught against his teeth, but Donna calls him beautiful and promises complete responsibility. George reluctantly signs the adoption papers.

Harry immediately disrupts the household. He barks while George studies Greek, growls only at George, keeps everyone awake at three in the morning, digs up Mary’s flowers, scatters trash, destroys George’s slippers, chews Jimmy’s baseball equipment, and constantly needs cleaning and supervision. An alarm clock meant to soothe him merely becomes another toy.

The other Barclays help, but George reminds Donna that Harry belongs to her. With Mary needing rest and George trying to study, the chaos cannot continue. Donna must control and care for Harry or return him to the pound.

Donna tries desperately. She stays up with Harry, begs him to behave like a normal dog, and becomes exhausted enough to fall asleep while studying. Jimmy awakens her at four-thirty, already late for work. Her boss reprimands her, and she knows George may regard the lateness as final proof that Harry must go.

At Whit’s End, Donna confesses that she loves Harry but is tired of the trouble. Connie observes that digging, chewing, spilling, and playing sound normal for a young dog. The word makes her remember Donna’s earlier complaint about her family.

Connie recalls wanting normal life after her own parents separated. She eventually learned that real life often feels strange, painful, and beyond control. Donna may have hoped a dog would make her changing home feel steady again, only to discover that Harry brings his own kind of change. Connie tells her that she must adjust her expectations whenever a new normal arrives and trust God through circumstances she cannot manage.

Before Donna can fully respond, Jimmy arrives with worse news: Harry has run away. The family searches and posts notices but finds no trace. The house becomes unnaturally quiet. Donna realizes that she had considered returning Harry after the trouble at work, yet now she misses the games, the conversations, and the way he always greeted her with affection no matter how frustrated she became.

Mary understands that Harry has given Donna the attention and uncomplicated affection she has needed. She and George have been consumed by seminary and pregnancy and have underestimated how their changes affect both children. Mary promises they will make more time to talk and stay connected through family activities and meals.

The next day, Donna tells Connie that the Barclays will work out a new normal until another one comes along. A familiar bark then sounds from the kitchen. Harry has escaped back into Whit’s End, muddy and messy but unharmed. Donna embraces the dog she had nearly surrendered and promises to clean up what he has done.

Since Harry never responds to his name and has taught Donna so much about changing expectations, she gives him a new one. She leads “Normal” home.