This photo of my dog reminded me of a cute story of a dog I saw while I was performing at the Gaithersburg Farmer’s Market.
While performing I saw a man walk by with two dogs, one of medium height and one slightly taller. As they walked passed I noticed one of the dogs dropped a green tennis ball. The owner didn’t seem to notice and kept walking. The larger of the two dogs attempted to pick up the ball but couldn’t get it in time before they moved out of reach. As they walked away I saw the bigger dog continuously turn back and look longingly at the tennis ball now left abandoned on the ground.
After I finished my set I went to collect the ball and see if I could return it to the dog. It was then that I saw the owner had stopped to sit on a near by bench. The dog who had dropped the ball was peering around the side of the bench with the same expression as the golden retriever in the photo above. I walked over and asked the owner if this was his dog’s toy. He said yes and before I even had a chance to approach the dog he or she jumped up and grabbed it out of my hand with such an expression of joy.
It made me think about the possessions in our lives that we hold dear. Sometimes they don’t look like much to others but they hold a very special place in our hearts. They can remind us of a person, a place or maybe just a moment of time that made us feel something. While some items, like the dog’s ball, can be replaced it’s just not the same. It goes to show that no matter what species you are there’s always something that is treasured.