Romeo's Dog-Jitsu Coach

Good morning. Romeo (my aussie dog) and I are at a coffee shop. Romeo is staring at me. I think he is still amazed that I was able to completely disappear for 6 days and then just reappear out of nowhere. He is smiling, nodding his head and chuckling to himself at the improbability of it all.

Yesterday Romeo and I went to my good friend, Dan's house. Dan is my Jiu-Jitsu coach and lives in a very rural town called Prunedale, CA. He has a dog, named Oliver. Oliver is clearly the most good-natured dog Romeo has ever met. When they first met, Romeo growled. Oliver looked at him incredulously, then laughed (dog laugh), and then chased bugs. Romeo was taken aback at the lack of reverence. How could this tiny mutt not see him as a threat? How could he expect Romeo to just let this insult go? How could he jump around all silly as if nothing mattered and expect Romeo to do the same? Bugs don’t matter! There are important things going on! Human people are saying things and there is a remote chance that it’s a command. How could this sawed off blemish on the face of pure breeding ignore the most important things in li…. Wait a minute! Is that a pill bug? WEEE!!!!!

Romeo spent the next two hours bounding around as if he was part dog. Thank you Oliver, for teaching Romeo the fine art of chasing things that aren’t there, eating things that are not edible, and running from one place where nothing is happening to another place where nothing is happening.

Romeo is now one step closer to becoming a dog and it’s all due to Dan, my Jiu-Jitsu coach and Oliver, Romeo’s Dog-Jitsu coach. Thanks guys.

Poor "sort of" dog