The Treat Lady Has Been Spotted

My neighbor's two dogs seem to have appointed themselves my personal welcoming committee ~ Duke and Daisy.

It has been a while since I saw them, but apparently, they have not forgotten me. The moment they spot me, they bark. Not an angry bark. Not even really an “intruder!” bark. It is more like: “HELLO! SHE’S HERE! THE TREAT LADY IS HERE! PLEASE COME OUT!”

I suppose I brought this upon myself. For the longest time, whenever I saw them, I would give them treats — or, occasionally, a little of my cats’ food. They loved it. I loved seeing them happy. But their owners eventually made it clear that my cats’ food doesn’t agree with their stomachs. Fair enough. I promised I wouldn’t feed them anymore.

And I meant it. Well… mostly. I still keep a little bag of actual dog treats handy for those spontaneous neighborhood encounters. Because surely that doesn’t count as violating the spirit of the agreement, right?

This morning, after not seeing them for a while, there they were. And look at those faces!

Duke looked delighted just to see me. Daisy, the white one, was especially affectionate. When I reached through the fence to rub her belly, she actually tried to rub her whole body against the fence to get closer to me. It was her version of a hug. “The fence is inconvenient, but I will work with what I’ve got.” And I laughed.

Animals are wonderfully uncomplicated that way. They don’t care whether you’ve seen them recently. They don’t hold grudges. They don’t wonder why you haven’t come around. They simply see you and remember that you were kind to them.

Of course, they also remember the treats. Let’s be honest. I may have earned their affection through generosity, but they have definitely trained me to carry snacks.

Still, I like this little friendship. I don’t need to own them. I don’t need to feed them. I don’t need to make them mine. Sometimes affection is simply a moment at the fence. A hand reaching through. A belly waiting to be rubbed. Two happy faces. And a little bag of treats.

Somewhere behind that fence, two dogs are probably thinking:

“We don’t know when she’ll come out again. But when she does, we will be ready.” ❤️🐾