Yesterday was a big day. It was time for the youngest dog on our team to meet the oldest dogs on our team.

Puppy has seen the retirement garden from a distance, but she’s never been up close. She follows me around, though, so I walked over to the garden to see if she’d come. She followed me, then froze—she had sensed something in the tall grass.

Here is the subtle thing she sensed.

Twelve-year-old Hari and Refried!

“I’m gonna meet the big dogs?”

She was nervous. She pressed against my legs, and I picked her up gently and carried her into the garden. I’d be with her the whole time.

[audio: Blair says “hey Hari!” so he can find his way over to her]

Refried needed to sniff puppy very much. Puppy wasn’t sure what was going on so she just sat there.

Refried wondered if puppy is just an interesting smell that doesn’t move.

She tried to start a romp...

...and puppy promptly tipped over.

For a while it seemed like Refried had broken puppy.

But then puppy put her paw up

She touched Refried on the nose. Refried bounced away. And then puppy understood:

REFRIED WAS A TOY

Puppy bounced. Refried bounced too.

Puppy shook. Refried shook.

Puppy and Refried frolicked together.

If you are wondering where Hari was, he was hanging out with me getting pets because his favorite way to experience chaos is from a pleasant distance.

Puppy and Refried visited him, too, of course. But then they bounced away again.

There was too much fun to be had. They were inseparable.

Puppy wanted to chew plants. Refried didn’t care! She wanted to hang out with puppy while puppy chewed plants.

This is puppy love.

When the time came to say goodbye for the night, puppy wasn’t afraid of the retirement garden anymore. She sat and watched it from a distance.

She’ll be going back every day to visit her best friend.

The end.