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“Good boy, pup.” Rubbing his head and then his belly, I gave the leash a tug and got adorable wiggles from my pup. “Walk. Careful.”
He gave an excited bark and made exaggerated steps as he followed me down the stairs and through the house. He was so focused on being ridiculous that he forgot about our picnic until he saw it laid out.
Seeing the blanket with the thermos and everything ready for us got more barks and happy wags.
“Play first.” Removing the leash, I tossed it down on the blanket and crouched down teasingly. “Run.”
He jumped and barked, wagging his tail as he took off, weaving his way through the bushes and around the yard. He’d spent so much time in the yard that even the low light didn’t affect his ability to dart around and do his best to escape me.
At a full-out run I could’ve easily caught up to him because he was hobbled by an erection and a tail, but that wasn’t the game. So I got just close enough to pretend to grab at him and then backed off to let him bark and escape me.
He weaved his way around the yard so easily, I had a feeling he’d imagined the scene before. Remembering how often he’d just stare at the yard and wiggle, I’d decided he’d already done it over and over in his mind. But now we were getting to do it together.
“Almost caught you.” Laughing as he barked and wagged his tail before darting off again, I decided I needed to do more long-distance running when I went to the gym.
Keeping up with a pup was hard.
His happy barks and excited wagging tails…the front one and the back one…made it worth it, though.
Even if I hadn’t understood his sounds, his erection and his grin made how much he was enjoying himself obvious. But he loved his tail so much, I knew he would only last so long. I was counting down the minutes in my head but he went longer than I’d expected before finally collapsing on the blanket.
Dropping down beside him, I laughed and started petting his back as he played up how exhausted he was for attention. “Oh my goodness, pup, you’re so fast.”
That got a happy grin and more tail wags from my much more relaxed pup. He’d come bouncing in the house after working at both jobs during the day and seemed to have been on his third or fourth wind.
I was hoping the watch would help with him pushing himself too far, but I didn’t bring that up as I slowly ran my hand over him and let him settle against the blanket. After a while, he wiggled closer, resting his head on my thigh and closing his eyes.
Someone wanted more cuddles.
I could take a hint, so I kept petting his head and back. “I knew you would have so much fun back here, pup. You were fast and you were so cute.”
It had definitely made it worth all the time I’d spent walking through the yard making sure he wouldn’t step on anything. The subtle lighting made it safe, but I didn’t want him missing anything just in case.
“Such a good pup.” The good pup that had raced through my yard. “Is my pup hungry? Want treats?”
He gave a low bark of agreement, but it took him a while to open his eyes and get into a more upright position where I could actually feed him safely. “Good boy. Good sit, pup.”
That got more pleased wiggles as he waited impatiently on all fours, wagging and studying the different coolers and things I’d placed on the blanket. Trying to decide what to eat had been ridiculous and I’d gone through several menus before I’d come up with one that hadn’t looked like I was feeding a little.
Kenton wouldn’t have minded that, but I wanted him to have a special pup meal, not one he’d have with his friend Ian. After obsessing and worrying, I thought I had it right when I opened the first insulated container and grabbed a plate. Small pieces of steak and potatoes fell out onto it, getting a bark from my hungry pup.
Perfect.
Picking up the first piece, I held it up and smiled when he carefully used his lips to take it. “Gentle pup. That’s right.”
Feeding him a few bites to get over the burst of hunger he must be feeling, I waited until he didn’t look quite so ravenous before I grabbed a thermos with a long straw. “Water, pup. Drink.”
Taking several long sips, he let out a sigh that made me laugh as I set it back down. “Thirsty pup.”
His response to that was to curl up between my legs, pushing me into the right position with his muzzle until he could lean against my chest. “Cuddles already, huh?”
My pup gave an agreeing bark before he looked down at the plate and whined. “Yes. More food for the pup.”
After a few more bites, he paused and cocked his head, refusing to eat as he turned to me. “My turn?”
Barking again, he looked like I should’ve realized that sooner. “My pup was hungry and I had to take care of him.”
But I was a good Handler and ate a bite of the steak that was nearly melt in my mouth perfect. I thought it should’ve had a bit more seasoning and I wanted to find a way to keep it hotter for him, but I thought I’d done pretty well.
