One happy guy

 

Nowadays a lot of my time is chiseled into one single purpose: keeping careful watch over Oli. Is he bored, is he hungry, is he getting into mischief? 

At any moment he might erupt with energy. He will sprint in circles while also burrowing into the couch, shoving seat cushions out of his way. He may take a running leap onto my bed, spot his reflection in the mirror and proceed to bark at himself. He might jump up and lean his front paws on the kitchen cabinets in hopes of snacking on whatever is on the counter but since he isn’t tall enough to reach, he will settle for gnawing on the cabinet door handle. 

At these moments, going outside is the best option. I actually love being outside with Oli, especially on weekends when there seems to be nothing but time so we can both leisurely sit on the lawn and watch cars go by or I can lazily observe Oli snuffling through the blades of grass, hoping for a fallen crab apple. Whenever a boost of energy hits my dog, I will work up some of my own. Since I don’t have a front or backyard and I can’t let Oli off his leash, I will run in circles with him. To make it more fun, I try and get us to do serpentine movements around trees or an electrical box. Oli is a lot more in shape than I am but he seems to take pity on me and stops for regular breaks. 

Sometimes we encounter other people and Oli is a hit with everyone since he is dolls out love freely and enthusiastically. One man commented that Oli was just so darn happy. Indeed he is and so am I.