Canine Encounter for the First Time

Would you be scared if you saw three dogs walking toward you in the woods?

The trees are all of a sudden just as they were a year ago—green and lush under white clouds. The azaleas are just beginning to peek out, and pretty soon Joan will begin taking our portraits in front of them, you know, for the flowery background effect.

The trail through the woods at the park is attracting more people every day, so we try to go there when other people don’t. But yesterday, Shane and I were walking along with Joan, Kyla, and Saki when a man and woman appeared on the trail coming toward us. I guess we looked scary because the woman almost jumped into the woods clutching the man’s arm and saying things like, “Oh, mercy. Look at those dogs” The man looked anxious, but he tried to smile bravely. With a shaky voice, he asked Joan if we dogs were “Okay.”

“Oh, come on, look how sweet they are,” said Joan. And she told the man to give me a nice hello. I sat down right in front of him, and he sort of waved at me. Even though the woman kept saying, “Oh, my,” I focused on the man and gave him my softest look fortified by an expectant dog smile. Then, at last, he touched my forehead and said, “Hello, nice dog,”

“See that?” Joan remarked. “There’s not a mean bone in her body.”

The lady sort of laughed, but she still held on to the man. But, I could see that the man was pleased, and he told us to have a nice day. I hope their encounter with me helped them arrive at a new awareness about life and adventure and taking a risk now and then. Sometimes, all you have to do is say hello and your life is suddenly on the upswing.

Best wishes, Juno