Dogs Are The Best People

I ended up going 'out' again tonight (in my defence, there was a specific occasion to which I was going). For all intents and purposes it was the same old script as it's always been at any given club; young things in their identical outfits, drinking too much. Young bucks decked out in the latest metrosexual gear (which seems to come with standard issue white leather shoes these days) also drinking too much. Both species fumbling about trying to get the attention of the other, in a vain but somehow strangely appealing attempt to make themselves feel better about who they are.

As I sat inside this club, trying to find something interesting to focus attention on, I noticed there was a dog on the footpath outside. He had a collar on so was clearly not a stray, but there was no sign of his owner anywhere. He seemed content enough just hanging out. I actually got the impression he was waiting for somone to return. A few people stopped to pet him. One idiot picked the poor thing up and held him aloft (in what was no doubt an attempt to impress a female, which, sadly, no doubt worked), then eventually the dog found a stick from the garden with which to play fetch.

To say this dog was infatuated with the stick would in no way do justice to how he clearly felt about playing fetch. He was absoutely beside himself whenever someone was willing to play. And he never grew tired of playing. A few different people obliged him in the game, but he really didn't seem to care who was playing with him, just so long as someone was.
There was one couple who refused to play with him. Everytime he dropped the stick at their feet they would shuffle awkwardly to the side and try to ignore him. He'd look up at them expantantly a few times, then pick up the stick and walk over to where they'd shuffled and drop it at their feet again, as if to say "I don't understand why you keep moving away from my stick-just pick it up and throw the freakin' thing".

If someone were to ask me what the definition of ecstacy is, I would use that dog as explanation. It was absolutely pure bliss in motion.

At some point in time I found myself wondering if he'd had anything to eat or drink and where he'd sleep tonight, but for the most part I had a smile beaming from ear to ear watching him play.

I looked at that dog, playing with reckless abandon and absolute euphoria, all the while not caring that anyone could see how much he wanted to play and how much he loved doing it.

I looked and thought "Yeah. Break me off some of that".