Kill Devil Hills – A chocolate lab named Wally is trying to explain the hell that is the 4th of July to his 8 month old compatriot, Skittles.
Somehow Wally knows what is coming. Though he can’t use a calendar or understand concepts like years and holidays, he knows. Perhaps he can smell the illegal fireworks his neighbor bought from that guy in the Kmart parking lot.
This will be Wally’s 15th 4th of July, and everyone of them has been a terrible cacophony of booms and chaos. Wally interrupted his usual routine of scratching on his dog bed, spinning in a circle three times, then sleeping for two hours, to bark at Skittles repeatedly.
The puppy seemed to ignore the advice of the older dog, and continued to play with his toys only pausing to acknowledge the older dog when he held a toy halfway out of his mouth in an attempt to get Wally to try and take it.
“Oh Wally hates the 4th,” said owner Wanda Stickler, “Isn’t it cute the way he is teaching Skittles? He can do all sorts of tricks, watch this. Wally Sit!” Wally ignored her and focused on barking at the puppy. “Oh he won’t do it when you’re here. You have him distracted. He gets distracted by company,” Stickler said as Wally continued barking at the smaller dog. She also explained that Wally could predict the weather. “Wally will be outside, and then he comes inside, and don’t you know it, later that day it rains. The dog has a second sense!”
“That dog is worthless,” Her husband Ron said, “What good is a hunting dog that is afraid of loud noises? This is all because you let him sleep inside, Wanda.”
Skittles appeared to ponder what Wally was barking at him for a moment until a fly breezed past him, and he was distracted. He chased it for a few moments then fell over and rolled around. Wally gave up on trying to warn Skittles and went inside, prompting Wanda to warn us it was going to rain.