Park It
Yippee! Yahoo! Whoo, hoo! We’re going to the dog park today. The day Mom wakes up a half hour late every week we go to the park. Same routine. Mom’s going through my travel bag to make sure everything we may need is included. She’s cleaning my water bottle that has a special gizmo to slurp from. I’m thirsty already. Also in the bag are handy wipes to remove dirt and the slobber from other dogs. We never forget the doggie-doo-doo bags.
Finally I’m secured in my seat belt as we drive to the park. As we arrive at our destination I can hardly contain myself. Banging my tail against the window, I wait to be let out of the hatchback. I bounce out of the SUV. At the gate I sit as calmly as I can and wait for Mom to open it. My favorite pals come to meet me. To prepare for the welcome ritual I stand patiently as the greeter sniffs my backside. Now it’s my turn to check out his junk, and we are good to go. As I explore the area, I hope my girl mate (human translation = soul mate) is here. Aw, Ashley and I spot each other. She runs up to me, we nuzzle and kiss, taking off we do laps as a duo going around the fenced yard.
Doggone it, Diesel’s here too. He’s usually fun, but sometimes a bit rough. Diesel has about 10 pounds more muscle than my 70-pound mass. I can defend myself, especially with Ashley watching. We chomp at each other’s face, grunting and growling. It sounds like a battle is raging, but we never touch. A canine martial arts of sorts. Mom calls out to me; “Maxim. Stop! Come!” That’s my cue to run away from Diesel. I sit in front of Mom and am rewarded with a small treat.A young male pup enters the park. I trot off to greet him. We do a reciprocal sniff assessment and a play bow. A pack of us dogs cluster together for a gabfest when we hear a fight break out. Diesel has provoked the newcomer. He is trying to be submissive but Diesel is intimidated by his barrel size and presses forward. The pup yelps as Diesel bites into his ear.