It’s been years since Oscar came for an overnight that stretched into three or four nights.  His people were having a baby and I had offered to keep Oscar here in case they needed to go to the hospital in the middle of the night or in case the baby took a while coming.  Oscar played with my dogs in the park behind our building, so I knew they all got along.  What I didn’t know is that Oscar would stay as long as he did or that my dogs would do one of the least expected things I’d ever seen any dogs do.

Oscar was a German Shepherd, a rescue, and a very nice dog.  He had digestive issues, as many Shepherds do unfortunately, but other than that, he was easy, friendly, obedient, an all around nice guy.  Outdoors, Sky liked to retrieve while Monk and Oscar wrestled.  Indoors, everything changed and I didn’t realize it completely until Oscar finally went home.  During the time Oscar was here, my dogs never played with each other and left Oscar out.  Either they both played with Oscar, or one of the two of them played with Oscar while the other chewed a bone or took a nap.  It was only when he left and they threw themselves at each other for a long, hard game of Let’s Be Dogs, racing, leaping, tugging, kissing, that I realized that they hadn’t done that for four days.

I would never expect dogs to be such good hosts.  But, indeed, they were.  And thinking back on it, I am still amazed.  My dogs have been with many other dogs, but I have only seen a guest dog treated quite so well and with such sensitivity that once.

I don’t have a picture of Oscar, only one of his hosts, happy to be with each other, and happy to welcome a friend in temporary need of a place to stay and some friends with whom to pass the time.

twins