Surprises never end

Guinness found a surprise rubber soccer ball on our back driveway. It must have blown there from a neighbor's grandchild. He had a ball with his ball until it popped. But then it was fun to rip apart.
We went for a walk along the bike path today. Along our walk, we met up with an older man and his 14 year old dog. Obviously, a 14 year old does not want to play. BUT Guinness was surprisingly calm around the older dog and older man! He is definitely learning to discern less able dogs and people! The man and I chatted as we walked along, and Guinness slowed his pace to ours (I let him roam on a long lead on the path). He never tugged on me. Sometimes the two dogs would sniff the same interesting spot together. When we reached the ballfield area, I released Guinness to run where ever he wanted. He didn’t run. He stayed with us. He was enjoying having a companion even though it was not a playmate. After we circled the field and headed back down the path, Guinness became his Guinny self and ran like a crazy man in circles around us. He didn’t jump on us, but just raced as fast as he could go. It suddenly stuck me what he was “saying!” He did not want us to leave the ballfield! He wanted to wander around some more with the nice man and congenial dog.

This afternoon, I screwed up the monitor for a new thermometer on the deck. Guinness was extra good while I worked. He wandered the yard, then stood near me until I was done. I patted his head as we walked inside as I told him, “Good boy.” After I put my tools away, I wanted to go out through the garage to clean up leaves that had accumulated there. I called to Guinness to come. No response. I called again and again. No response. So I went looking for him, assuming that he had something he shouldn’t and was refusing to come to me. He was no where to be found. Then I started to worry… did I leave him outside? Before I went to look, I did one more sweep of the house. He was not in the house. As I went outside, and no Guinness in sight, I recalled that he DID walk in with me like a perfect Hershey would have. Is it possible that he followed me into the tiny furnace room when I put the tools away and that I closed him in there? YES!!! Poor baby! And he didn’t even cry! Hershey would have done the same thing.