Kibbles and Bits

A few weeks ago we attended a graduation party for my cousin. There were tons of people there and the weather was not the best so most were confined inside the house. My aunt, who was throwing the party, has two dogs. Knowing that not all people are dog people, she locked them in a crate in a bedroom at the top of the steps. Anytime someone arrived, the dogs would bark and it piqued the interest of Maxfield. He wanted to see the dogs.

There were several children in Max’s age group that wanted to see the dogs as well. Every now and then they would gather at the bottom of the steps and I would walk them up to pet the dogs through the wires of the dog crate. Half way up the steps, most of the other children would become fearful and go back downstairs. Except for Max and Ryan. Max and Ryan, both three years old and both “dog owners” themselves, made the trip upstairs about a dozen times.

At one point, my cousin MB and her boyfriend, the owners of the male cocker spaniel, had to take the dog outside so it could pee. Max and Ryan couldn’t wait to be able to pet the dog once it was outside the confines of the crate. I took them both outside onto the porch and waited for dog to finish its business.

MB’s boyfriend walked the dog back to the porch and offered Max a Ryan a chance to play with dog. He was real careful to explain to me that the dog was still a puppy and somewhat jumpy. He held the dog tight by the collar while the boys gently scratched its chin and ears. The dog's tail was wagging with appreciation.

Seeing how much the dog was enjoying the attention and that Max and Ryan were not afraid he said, “Guys? You want to scratch the dog’s belly? He really likes that.”

They both nodded.

MB’s boyfriend then crouched down, picked up the dog and sort of cradled it exposing the dog’s underside. MB’s boyfriend then stood up putting the dog’s underside at eye level to the boys.

And before I could even get any words out of my mouth I watched both Max and Ryan reach directly towards the dog’s pecker and rub vigorously.

The dog, suddenly, was extremely happy.