Granny's Dog, by Stanley Smith 

The full transcription and translation is below: Saskanno'sihma̱, pitpisali aasahofantihnakaash. When I was small, I look back to where I grew up. Ingma bínni't anokfilli So I sit here thinking about ponchokka' yamma̱ - ano', Granny, Grandpa, our house - me, Granny, Grandpa, sashko'si' toklo' - looáyya'sha yamma̱. and my two aunts - where we lived. Ingma̱ Grandmaat hopoona'chikmat, So when Grandma was getting ready to cook, "itti' ishtishla'n, impa chibannookma̱," amaachi. "go get some wood, if you want to eat," she would tell me. Ingma̱ Grannyat, ofi' imántahnattook. So Granny, she had a dog. Red holhchifo. His name was Red. Ofi' mat imanompoli, Grannyat. Granny talked to that dog. Yammakookya imaachihnattook. And she’d tell him that, too. "Impa chibannookma̱, ishapilaꞌn. Itti' ishtishlaꞌn." "If you want to eat, you'd better help him. Go get some wood." Ofi' yammat, nanna Grannyat imaachihma̱, yahmihnattook. That dog, whatever Granny told him, he’d do it. Haatoko̱ ofi' ma̱ sáwwali'shna And so the dog would follow me and itti' aa-áyyaꞌsha' bla iliyya. we’d go to the woodpile. Itti' ma̱, itti' toklo' f(o)kho iti' fokhili, I’d put the wood, about two pieces of wood in his mouth, falánt kitchen bla ishtayya. [and] he’d take it back to the kitchen. Íngma̱ áwwali'shli. So I’d follow him. Wood bin cho̱ꞌsikat, Something like a little wood bin, wood box cho̱ꞌsikat a̱shakaꞌ \stove a̱shakaꞌ\ ma̱ tállaꞌa, or like a little wood box was sitting behind the stove, yamma̱ ilanni. we’d put it in there. Imma ofi' ma̱ ootan~ oota'nicha (mi)sha' bla ootbiniili. And the dog would put it in there and go sit down over [in a corner]. Ootbiniilihma̱, Grannyat, When he’d sit down, Granny [would ask him], "Yammat alhpisa chimahooba?" "Do you think that’s enough?" "Ishtishla'n ano̱wa'." "Go get some more." Íngma̱ falant iliyya And then, we’d go back ano̱wa layo'wacha falánt ishlila. again we’d gather it and bring it back. Imalhpí'sa tahlakmat* "Yammat, When she was satisfied [she’d say], "That, *Note: According to Dr. Pamela Munro, imalhpí'sa selects for the auxiliary 'taha'. It appears that Stanley Smith may be combining the words 'taha' and 'tahli' in this sentence. \Ná yammat\ alhpísa'cha̱y(m)ha." \Now, that\ will be enough." Aachikma̱, ootliibiniili. When she’d say it, we'd go sit down. Ofi' mat, Grannyat nanna imaachikma̱, yahmihnattook. That dog, whatever Granny told him, he would do it. Kani̱hkma̱, ofi' mat Chikashsha amahoobahnattook. Sometimes, I’d think that dog was Chickasaw. Ookya ofi' mat haklo chôokma nanna Grannyat imaachihma̱, That dog would really listen when Granny said something to him, yahma'chitoko̱. because he was going to do it. Kani̱hkma̱, impa'chi nipi' iksho. Sometimes, we didn’t have any meat to eat. "Impa chibannookmat, fani' ishtishla'n." [She’d tell him,] "If you want to eat, you’d better bring a squirrel." Kochchaat kaniyahnattook. He’d go out and be gone. Bout 30 minutes, 45 minutes fokha'sikma̱, fani' ishtalahnattook. In 30 minutes, 45 minutes just about, he’d bring a squirrel back. "I̱i, yammat alhpisa'cha̱y(m)," imaachi. "Yes, this will be enough," she’d tell him. Íngma̱ misha' bla ootbiniili. And then he’d go sit down over there. Grannyat fani' ma̱ iksaasht táhcha Granny would fix up the squirrel and hakshop chohmiꞌ ofi' yamma̱ ima, she’d give the skin to the dog, salhkonacha chohmaꞌ apa'chika̱. and also the guts so he could eat it. Kani̱hkma̱, apat lootahlookma̱, kani̱hkma̱ ima ofi', fani' ma̱. Sometimes, if we [didn’t] finish eating it, she’d give the [rest of the] squirrel to the dog. Haatoko̱ ofi' yammat chôokmahnattook! So that dog was really good! Kani̱hkma̱ chipota alhiha' mat chihmi. Sometimes he’d be like those kids. Chipota alhiha' áyya'shahma̱ ibaachokoshkomo. He’d play with the children that were there. Kani̱hkma̱ chipota yamma̱ chihmi amahoobahnattook. Sometimes I used to think he was just like the kids. Grannyat ofi' yamma̱ i̱hollohnattook. Grandma really loved that dog. Kanookya i̱nókko'wa'n ikbanno. She didn’t want anybody to get onto to him. Ilaapakoot nanna ikimaꞌchookma̱ íllak-alhihaꞌ oꞌn(o) imaacha'hi ki'yo. If she didn’t say anything to him then nobody else could. Haatoko̱ ofi' ma̱ i̱nokowo̱(k)mo̱*, And so, if [anyone] got after the dog, *Note: This appears to be a variant of i̱nokowookma̱. ilaapakoot i̱nokowahnattook. she would get after them. Ofi' yamma̱ Granny imitha̱n(a) ahoobahnattook, nanna imaachikma̱ cause, It seemed like that dog understood what Granny was saying to him, because nanna imaachi, yahmihnattookootoko̱. whatever she said to him, he would do it. Haatoko̱, ofi'at chóyyokma yamma̱ chóyy(ohmi) kaniyaꞌ akpiꞌso. And so, I haven’t seen a dog as good as that anywhere. Baꞌ! Salhpakonnahnattookchi̱ anhili kani̱hkma̱. So sometimes I wonder if I just dreamed [all that] about him! Haatoko̱ "my story" ma̱ yamma̱ á̱lhlhi. And so that’s the end of my story. Yammak ílla! That’s all.