Joey has been with us for a little over a month now. He brings us joy and laughter every day with his silly antics. But, he wasn’t always like that. When he first arrived, he was very serious. He’s a working dog you know. He didn’t know what a “cookie” was, and he walked past the dog toys without giving them a thought. He didn’t chase the ball or tug the rope. He jumped at every quick movement and every loud noise, and we wondered what his life had been like.

It was a while before he would gingerly take the “treats” out of our hands. Jake and Buddy liked it when he dropped them on the floor not knowing what he was supposed to do with them. But, after watching them gobble them up for a few days, he finally caught on.

We bought Joey his own toy thinking that maybe he didn’t like the old ones. It sat on the floor for weeks. He just didn’t know how to play.

Now he loves his toys and he always has one with him, even the old ones. He runs around the house and runs into us. If we’re not paying attention, he’ll come up behind us and ram the toy into the backs of our legs until we chase him. He found out how good it feels to play.

Take time today to remember how good it feels to play. Many of us have responsibilities that are high on our list of things to do. Social relationships can have a profound effect on your well being, so remember to spend time with friends.

Posted By: Beth Urban-Purtell