Pets: Pet Playdates

I went searching in my drafts the other day for a blog I thought I'd started and found several I never ran. I thought you'd enjoy a little walk down memory lane. this was written in July 2006.

Our dog Layla, a Labrador/MinPin mix, loves to play with other dogs, so when the neighbors got their puppy, a Coton de Tulear, we took Layla over to meet him. She and Bruno hit it off like two peas in a pod, so I told their girls they could bring Bruno with them when they came to play. Now Bruno is here more than the girls.

Bruno..not bigger than a breadbox.

Layla--definitely bigger than a breadbox, smaller than a Lab.

Michelle and Jason both work, so Bruno is often kenneled most of the day. When Jason comes home, he sometimes drops Bruno into the backyard to work off some energy with her friend. If they're going somewhere for a short period, they'll ask us to baby-sit. Lately, no sooner than they let Bruno out to go potty than he dashes to our front porch. His little yappy voice and the neighbor’s shriek of "Bruno! No!" is Layla's cue to run to the front door and whine for her bud. Naturally, they get to play awhile. For awhile, this was becoming a daily routine. I began to think that Bruno and Layla would go into withdrawal should we miss a day.

I don't mind. Bruno is a sweet, well-mannered little fluff of a dog and they are adorable playing together. After he goes home, Layla is worn out and content to lie on the bed or at our feet and relax. We've toyed with getting another dog, but being military, we are limited to two pets and I think we've taxed our cat Elbereth's patience for accepting "interlopers." For now, Layla will just have to be content with her playdates.