A few weeks ago, we were invited to our friends’ 50thwedding anniversary. The party started at 4pm. As it happened, we had tickets to a performance of Eifman Ballet on the same evening. Both events took place in Berkeley. The only issue was our puppy Max. We usually don’t leave him alone for more than three hours. Since we were going to be out for about 7 hours, we decided to have him stay at his dog sitter’s. I dropped him off there on Friday morning, and Elfa picked him up on Sunday morning.
When I came home from work on Friday night, there was no one waiting for me at the top of the stairs. Elfa tells me that Max knows when I am coming and sits by the door, even before I open the garage door. There was no one to celebrate Shabbat dinner with us on Friday night. Max usually sits and looks up while I read the prayer before the meal. At first, we thought that he has spiritual inclinations. Turns out that he was just waiting for an empty bottle of San Pellegrino water, which I give him to play with after dinner.
In the morning, there was no one to wake me up at 6 am with a lick to my face, and there was no one to exercise with, since Max did not take me out for a walk around our neighborhood. Nor was there anyone to go with to the park, to practice my ball throwing technique. There was no tail wagging or smart eyes looking with the question: What are we going to play next?But then things went back to normal on Sunday morning when Max returned home. He was very happy to be back, running from room to room, jumping and trying to kiss me. And he saw his “sister” Alona, who stayed over after the concert on Saturday night; and it is impossible to describe Max’s and our joy of being with each other. I read in “how to” books about dogs that we, the owners, should not let our “best friends” jump on us, since a big dog can easily to knock you down. But with Max this is not a problem, and jumping is his normal way of behavior.
It is not the first time Max stayed overnight at his dog sitter’s, and on a previous occasion, we went away for a week. However, since we were out of our familiar environment, the experience was different.
If you own a dog and have a close relationship with your “baby”, you can easily relate to my personal experience. If you do not have one and are lacking love in your life, I strongly recommend getting one as a remedy.
Regardless if you have a dog or not, my photo-story book, “42 Encounters with Dog Lovers”, which you can buy on Amazon.com, will bring you joy, I guarantee it. Meanwhile, enjoy these four latest images of Max. He sends you his best wishes.
Enjoy and Share with a Friend.
