Rosie Has Them Riveted

One winter evening on my way home from work, I stopped at my local grocery store. I left my twelve-year-old beagle Rosie in the car while I got something for supper. When I came back out, there were three boys, around ten to twelve years old, crowded around my car.

Boy #1: “Look at the dog!”

Boy #2: “Who’s a good boy?”

I approached the car and asked them if they wanted to walk her around the parking lot while I put my groceries in the car. Rosie, who loves people and especially children, jumped out as soon as I opened the door, and they all ran around for a few minutes.

When they came back, they asked if she could do any tricks like shaking hands.

Me: “Yes, but not shaking hands. She doesn’t like people touching her paws. But I’ll show you what she can do, and then I’ll give you some treats so you can try.”

They were really excited, and two of them got out their phones.

Boy #3: “Can we film it? Just the dog, not you. Data protection and privacy are very important.”

I almost hugged them because it was so cute. They played with Rosie, and she was happy to show off. Then, one of them tried to get her to shake hands.

Boy #2: “No! Don’t! She doesn’t like it. Why would you do something she doesn’t like?”

The other one stopped immediately and apologized.

This was three years ago, and I still smile when I think about those boys who were this endearing mixture of childish exuberance and adult seriousness.