Pass the Puppy
About a year and a half ago, when Mickey was about 16 weeks old, we enrolled him in Puppy Kindergarten. This is a class that helps new puppies get socialized with people and other dogs, and gives them the basics of obedience. It's really a must for any new puppy owner, in my opinion, gets you and the dogs off on the right foot. Anyway, one night in Puppy Kindergarten we played this game called Pass the Puppy. There were twelve or thirteen other puppies about Mickey's age in the class and, in order to get them used to being held and touched by people other than their owners, you were supposed to hang out with your puppy for a little while, then hand him to the person to your right, after introducing the puppy. So I played with the Mick for a few minutes, then when the teacher said, "Switch!" I turned to the person to my right, and said, "This is Mickey," and handed them my dog. I, in turn, got the dog to my left. And that's how it worked.
I know it's stupid, but that ten minutes where I was handed one squirmy, licky, furry bundle after another was truly one of the happiest moments of my life. I'm not kidding. I cannot think of anything better than someone walking up to me and saying, "Hello. This is Jasper." and handing me a ten week old golden retriever with feet way too big for his body who will lick my face energetically, flop over on his back for a tummy rub and maybe get a treat or two. I am an absolute sucker for dogs of any age, but I lose my mind completely when it comes to puppies. I'm kinda girly that way, I guess.
9:13:01 PM 
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