Kids and dogs

Today I have spent hours combing through various large hard drives gathering images of Ireland for my website re-do. In the course of that rummaging I have found bits and pieces of text, often about animals. This one, from before my move to my current location, brought back some good memories of a dear friend who died summer before last. I'll have more to say about him at some point. Meanwhile, here's that other little piece...

The other day I was taking one of my dogs for a walk. About a mile from the house, as we passed a big playground at a park, a little boy of about eight came running up to us and asked if he could pet my dog. I said of course he could. My dog is a big fellow and very imposing looking. Most folks don't want much to do with him unless they get to know him, in which case they find out he's a creampuff and a lover. This little boy had no fear at all, even though the dog is big enough to look him right in the eye, and when I said he could pet him he dove in and gave the dog a big hug around the head. Normally I wouldn't advise that kind of behavior around any strange dog, especially not around such a big fellow. But I knew my dog and I knew it would be all right. Mr. Dog responded to the assault with an equally vicious and determined tongue-bath on the boy's face and neck. It was love at first sight. The kid said he had had a dog, but his dad had given it away because it was "too much trouble." They played for a while and the kid was thrilled when he discovered that my dog will sit, down, stay, stand, come, and heel on command. Poor dog! Nothing would do but the kid put him through his paces for the next few minutes. They both seemed to love it. But about that time we heard someone calling from the parking area and the kid said he had to go. As he ran off he turned back and yelled a goodbye to my dog-- but not to me!

Boys and dogs. What a combination!