(Yes, we had a car seat in the living room as furniture.) Then at some point Kylie seemed to have moved on and Hush Puppy had been ignored for months. So while cleaning house we decided to make more room for the several other toys that had been accumulated since, so Hush Puppy went out with the trash.

Later that day a friend called and during the conversation he said, “I think Kylie’s upset about something.” He and Kylie had a very special relationship, they were like telepathic or something. And I could not deny it, she seemed despondent and quite dissatisfied.

I said, I didn’t know what was wrong with her, she had seemed fine earlier and it didn’t seem like she was sick or anything, but very not like herself. So then he asked, “Did you take something away from her.” And I said “No… Well I did get rid of Hush Puppy but she hasn’t played with him in forever.” He said emphatically, “That’s it! You better get him back!”

I briefly protested but soon found myself literally dumpster diving outside our apartment to fetch Hush Puppy from his odoriferous fate. Kylie greeted him warmly and her mood was instantly improved.

Needless to say, Hush Puppy’s residence was never again threatened, even when he had gone completely ignored and forgotten for years and Kylie had clearly outgrown him and moved on. Even when we would periodically go through all her toys with her and decide which toys could be donated to a local shelter, Hush Puppy stayed put.

We weren’t willing to take any chances!