Girl + Dog

Madeleine and I spent this past week in Ohio visiting my family. One of the perks was that Miss M got to spend lots of time with her favorite creatures: dogs! My mom and stepdad have two dogs, an elderly rescue Golden Retriever named Grace and an adolescent Chinese Crested (powder puff, not hairless) named Max. She also got the thrill of meeting some other family and friend dogs.

Because Max is rather protective, still somewhat juvenile, and quite unpredictable, Madeleine only got to directly interact with him under very controlled circumstances. Even though she couldn't freely pet Max, Madeleine enjoyed watching him from her high chair and through the glass doors.

Grace is the epitome of a kid-friendly dog. Madeleine stuck her fingers in Grace's mouth and nose, patted her, laid on top of her, cuddled her, and generally made Grace an extension of her body. Grace not only tolerated it but seemed to enjoy it at least part of the time.

By the end of the visit, Madeleine would enthusiastically respond "dog!" when asked what Max and Grace are, and she mastered panting like a dog (thanks for the encouragement, Grandma). It's too bad that a dog is not in our foreseeable future because I thoroughly enjoyed witnessing the joy Madeleine experienced thanks to a few special pooches.