Our retired service dog, Max, loves the snow. This very serious dog seems to find his inner puppy when he’s in the snow. He is liberated; he’s free to succumb to his natural dog instincts. He jumps, he frolics, he buries his head in the snow, and he rolls on his back like a maniac. It is delightful to watch this dog play with such reckless abandon.
Maybe this snow play seems so enjoyable since our retired service dog has been taught only recently how to play. This “working dog” has not adjusted easily to the life of a retiree. This new relaxed lifestyle is foreign and uncomfortable to our working dog.
Max has come a long way. It is a treasure to watch; especially when he’s romping in the snow alongside a child. They belong together, playing in the snow. Even though adopting a service dog is a challenge, when I watch Max and the kids play together, it’s worth it.
Since he was trained for interaction with blind people, Max was trained to show joy by opening his mouth (a smile perhaps or better yet, a very toothy grin). He was also taught that playing involves rolling around on the ground. Being a service dog for a blind person, he thinks every time someone lies down in the snow, they are ready to play with him. This has been interesting.
Considering Max outweighs two of my kids, he can knock them down in a heartbeat, especially on the slippery footing of snow. So, even a year and a half after we adopted our service dog, we’re still learning how to interact. I’m just thankful he feels part of the family.
We all went sledding today. I’m not sure who loved the snow more, Max or the kids. All that matters is that it was a blast. We all loved the snow day!
