The One and Only Bob

by Katherine Applegate

mall. Slept in

The way I understand things, it’s like this. We live on a lonely ball called Earth, and humans have basically been throwing it against the wall for so long that the poor ol’ ball is falling apart.

the jungles of Africa, where he was born. Or to see Ruby running across the savanna with a herd of elephants, her big ol’ ears flapping in the wind.

trying to toss off the stench of nightmare that clung to me like shampoo after a bath.

lot can go wrong in the moment left to chance, the blink of an eye, the bounce of a bone.

It’s as if the air is up to no good, sneaking up on the world and looking for trouble.

We analyze the air the way humans read poetry, searching for invisible truths. And we don’t just smell

We get things humans can’t even dream of getting. We’re the ones who find the miracle earthquake baby cuddled in her crib under tons of rubble. We’re the ones who find lost hikers in the wilderness after a quick whiff of a sweaty sock. We can even tell when someone’s sick. We can smell seizures and cancer and migraine headaches. Try getting your guinea pig to do that. We smell feelings, too. Sad has a sharp scent, with an undertone of sweetness. Sad smells like being lost in a winter forest as the sun goes down.

And happy? Happy is the best, but there’s a touch of wistfulness around the edges. Happy smells like bacon ice cream served up in an expensive leather shoe.

You guys are totally missing out. There’s a whole lot of info hiding in your average pee mail. When dogs want to share the latest gossip, we just wait until nature calls. You’d be amazed what we can learn during a quick bathroom break. People read the news. Check the TV. Browse the web. I linger over a fire hydrant and inhale the whole wide world. My ears, by the way, are almost as remarkable as my nose. I pick up on all kinds of things humans can’t hear. What we do with our noses and our ears is kinda like taking a big ol’ knot and loosening it up. Separating out the strands. Unbraiding things.

Babies puking. Toddlers whining. Spouses nagging.