I pull into the driveway after running a brief errand and push the button to open the garage door. The noise from the garage door being raised is loud, but nothing compared to the vocals emanating from inside the house. My pups know that I’m home and can’t wait to greet me.
I pull the truck into the garage, close the garage door, exit the truck, and make my way to the door that will lead me to one of the best greetings around. I know as soon as I step into the house my two beautiful dogs will be waiting to greet me. In my opinion, there’s nothing better than an official “Welcome home. It’s been so long!” from my dogs. It always brings a smile to my face.
I open the door and there they are. Kramer is bouncing up and down like a kangaroo and Dusty is making rapid circles around my legs. Their little nubby tails are wagging and their excitement is contagious. I have to try to accommodate both of their excitable greetings. Kramer is twice the weight and three times the size of Dusty. I don’t want him to miss time one of his jumps and land squarely on her tiny body.
So, to accommodate both I usually kneel down on one knee and keep the other up higher in order to separate them from each other’s space. Dusty is usually on the left side, so my left knee usually rests on the floor to lower myself into her space. I keep the right knee up to keep Kramer on the right side of me while I pet him and make an attempt to hold onto him as he’s jumping around like he’s on a pogo stick.
Once the circling and jumping part of the greeting is under control, the kissing session ensues. Dusty will stand on her hind legs and put her front paws near my shoulder area. Then she’ll begin licking me on the nose and eyes with her little pink tongue. Kramer will usually give me long licks up and down my face like someone using a paint roller on a wall. These sessions usually last for about three minutes, though the pups would indulge themselves much longer if allowed.
Sometimes when I arrive home Dusty and Kramer are upstairs with my wife, Kim, helping her in the office. They can’t readily make their way downstairs since we gate off the top of the stairs when we’re upstairs working. Otherwise, Kramer would spend his day running up and down, and Dusty, not to be outdone, would certainly want to chase after him. Not only do we need things quiet while we work but, we also don’t want to take the chance of Dusty taking an unexpected tumble down the lengthy stairway.
If they are upstairs when I arrive, I won’t know it until I walk in the door. For little dogs, they put on quite the vocal performance when I arrive. I’ll notice they’re upstairs running back and forth excitedly until I come upstairs to greet them. Until they’ve been able to impart their proper greetings on me, I’m not able to bring in the groceries or shopping bags from the errands I just ran.
Priority one is to get upstairs to greet my furry kids. Dusty will be on the right side of the banister and Kramer to the left. As soon as I’m in view, their faces will be pressed between the rails. I lean to the right side first, since Dusty demands to be first with everything. Dusty proceeds to give me some sloppy kisses. Then Kramer will kiss any spots that Dusty happened to miss and then some. Once at the top of the stairs, the jumping and rubbing session is in full force. All is well in their world now that I’ve arrived. And truthfully, my world is complete as well.
I know the stories about dogs always greeting you with love and excitement holds true in my house. It doesn’t matter if I’ve been gone five minutes or five hours. My dogs’ greetings are always the same and that’s perfectly fine with me.
How do your dogs greet you? Is there a special routine they have when you arrive at home? Share your stories and pictures on Dogster.
About Tim Link: All-American guy who loves to rock out to Queen while consuming pizza and Pinot Noir and prefers to associate with open-minded people who love all critters. Considers himself to be the literal voice for all animals. Author, writer, radio host, Reiki Master, Animal Communicator and consultant at Wagging Tales.
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