Let the dog in!

I took myself for a walk yesterday. My pooch, the dog who constantly needs in or out, is on vacation. How she scores one and I don’t is a whole OTHER story. Oy, don’t get me started. I’m a little bitter…

THIS story is about having a need met serendipitously one sunny afternoon. By a gorgeous, affectionate blond.

Okay, it was a golden retriever. I walk by her place about once a week. Normally, Becca is with me and we march on to avoid a dog-on-leash vs. dog-off-leash problem where the dog on-leash wants to frolic with the dog off-leash and thereby chokes herself to death. Or pulls me over into a heap or, worse, into blackberry bushes.

This retriever, she has this squeaky, high bark, not unlike most golden’s barks. Don’t get me wrong. I like goldens. Except for one crazed wacko in Alaska, they are a friendly, lickable likable bunch.

So I am marching along, listening to my podcast, The Business, in which Claude interviewed director Tony Kaye who almost screwed up his entire career by suing New Line Cinema in 1997 when they wanted to release a version of American History X he didn’t like. He wanted his name removed from the project and replaced with a “directed by Humpty Dumpty” credit. He admitted a possible nervous breakdown may have been happening at the time.

But you don’t care about this entertainment news, do you? You want to know about the Puppy Love!

So, I am marching along, yada yada, feeling a little silly walking without a dog, and here comes Pola (I read her name tag. We got close.).

Bark! Bark! That is, squeak, squeak. And rather than hang back on her front porch, she, perhaps noticing I, too, am alone today, immediately comes charging out into the street. (Don’t worry. It’s a relatively quiet street.)

Her blond fur waving and squirrelly tail swaying, she looks happy to see me. I say hello, and I kid you not, I may have had my hand on her back for one second before she flopped down on the street, paws in the air, tail still thumping. Just a big, ‘ol furball ready for the loving.

Oh, yay! Dog lovies! I need this.

Did I mention I missed my dog?

We had our mutual lovies fest for a good while, there in the middle of the street. Me, squatting down, her, sprawled out, four extra fuzzy paws offered to the blue sky. Long enough that when a car finally did go by, the driver rolled down her window, and peering over her sunglasses said, “uh, everything okay, here?”

“Yeah, we’re good.” What? You’ve never seen the meeting of two love-starved creatures before??!

There you have it. One woman’s tale (and one dog tail) of how the universe may possibly offer some tiny glimmer of companionship, a small outstretched finger, or paw, just when you need it most. You just have to slow down long enough to greet it.

[P.S., does anyone know this song reference in the title??]

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