I wasn't sure I wanted to be introduced to a dog. Sandy hadn't been at all friendly when she first saw me. I snuggled close to Pat as she carried me down the stairs to the carport.

When Sandy saw us, she got real excited. She stood on her hind legs and started barking at me. I was glad that George had put the chain on her collar and fastened it to a beam on the carport. Sandy struggled to get closer and I was afraid that she would break the chain. Pat told her firmly, "Settle down, Sandy. This is just a little kitten and he isn't going to cause any trouble. He's looking for a home and you must be nice to him." I was surprised that Sandy sat down and stopped barking.

She tilted her head to one side and looked me over. Then she opened her mouth and grinned. Her teeth were HUGE! Pat walked toward Sandy and said, "Good girl!" Then Pat bent over and patted Sandy on her head. Sandy strained toward me and tried to lick me with her long tongue. I struggled to get away and Pat said, "Stop it, Sandy! You've scared the poor little kitten."

Pat carried me through the carport and turned to the left. Now I could see that part of the house was built into a hill. She followed a path that led up the hill to a rock terrace. Just as we got to the terrace, George came around the house. He called out, "Do you want a glass of iced tea? We could sit on the terrace and let the kitten play outside for a little while." "That's a good idea," said Pat. She put me on the terrace and sat down in one of the metal lawn chairs. In a few minutes, George brought two big glasses of iced tea and put them on the wrought iron table. Before he sat in the other chair, he reached down and patted me on the head.

Just then, I saw a bug running along the edge of the terrace. It jumped into the flower bed and so did I. The bug disappeared, but I kept looking for it. I hid in a clump of grassy leaves and planned my next move.

I heard Pat tell George, "When I finish my tea, I'm going to give the kitten a bath." George asked, "Do you think that's necessary? He looks pretty clean to me." "Yes." she replied, "I'm sure he has ear mites and he probably has a few ticks or fleas, too." I wasn't sure I liked this idea, but I thought maybe George could talk her out of it. Suddenly, a giant grasshopper flew into the flower bed. I tried to catch it but it was too fast for me. Pat laughed and said, "You are a scrappy little fellow, that grasshopper was almost as big as you are."