If you are one of the many people out there who has always desired to experience senior pet day but never had the opportunity to do so, then continue reading this post to experience it first hand.
Last Friday, my high school had senior pet day. I had looked forward to senior pet day for seven years (I still grin when I think about it!). It lived up to all my expectations.
Henry, my beautiful, handsome, smart, charming dog, was my date to senior pet day. He represented himself fabulously well; he only peed on one other dog, sniffed politely at all of my teachers, posed for adorable photos, and paid more attention than anyone else in my entire math class (he was fascinated, I believe, because he had never seen an Expo marker before). Henry even resisted the temptation of eating other dogs during math class. I can imagine the doggy thoughts running through his head as he panted and wagged his tail at the assortment of mutts, cotons, and fancy-looking scrawny lap-dogs that was my math class: "Woof. You guys are all dogs. And I am a dog. But I've eaten steaks that are bigger than you!" He heroically abstained from tasting.
Henry also conducted himself amazingly during a break period that I shared with my friends. During this period, Henry met his first-ever hamster. One friend had brought her pet hamster to school, hamster ball and all, and was introducing everyone and everyone's dog to her furry rodent friend. We squeaked "hi", and then in a stroke of genius she opened the ball to let the dogs put their noses in and sniff hello. One friend's dog gave the hamster a sniff and promptly walked away. This three-year-old dog, however, is more blissed out in social situations than either of my dogs will ever be in their lifetimes. Henry, safe to say, was not blissed out to meet the hamster. I think he thought he was being offered a serve-yourself buffet. Just in time, I cried out to my friend-- "No! Hide the hamster! Henry will eat it. It looks like a mouse, and he can eat a mouse in approximately one bite!" In a flurry of motion, the almost-dinner and almost-diner were separated, and I think that Henry is a bit bummed out that he will never know what hamster tastes like.
Henry also had a chaotic first encounter with a cat. This occurred in my Spanish class. A large conference-style wooden table is in the middle of the room, and we were all sitting around it discussing Spanish literature when I noticed Henry leaping about beneath the table. This is quite a feat, considering the fact that the space between the table and the floor is ladden with obstacles in the form of feet, gum, and table legs. Henry was still on the leash, so I gave him an amused little tug and a bit more lee way. Suddenly, Henry bounded back to the other side of the table, and I realized that he was stalking a cat! One instant later, a quivering gray cat was being smothered in love by a nervous owner. Henry began to look at me with a puzzled expression on his face--as if to say "where is my toy the cat and why did it run away?"-- but just then, another friend's dog attacked him! Henry must've landed with a paw or two on this huge dog's tail, for the dog and Henry engaged in full-on battle. Hackles rose, snarls sounded, and my friend ended up running out of the room with her dog as quickly as possible. Class was dismissed ten minutes early (a miraculous miracle caused by the dogfight), and Henry, poor thing, gave me the most mornful look with those lovely big brown eyes. Henry has never attacked anything except a chew toy in his life; the poor baby had to have his first fight on a leash halfway under the table with an irritated dog who didn't understand him.
Here is an example to help give you an idea of how friendly Henry is: A few years ago, a rabbit was trapped in our window well. My parents and I devised a contraption using boxes to help the bunny escape. Being a Labrador, Henry is a natural hunter. So he approached the escaping bunny and easily caught it in his mouth. Instead of killing it, Henry took the poor guy on a joy ride through the yard for half an hour, carefully carrying it so that it could admire his entire territory. Henry, therefore, would never start a fight.
But throughout the entire day, he did fantastic. I could not be more proud of my darling dog. I love you, Henry. Thanks for the best senior pet day ever! <3
