April 2, 2016

White Dog got a rare treat when Steve had to return to the school after his class this afternoon. He had forgotten paperwork he needed and invited White Dog to accompany him after dinner to retrieve it.

WD LOVES car rides and her dad-and-me time but an opportunity to go with him to school was very special.

When WD was much younger and Steve still worked at the architecture office, he would often bring our girl with him when he went in on weekends during deadline crunches or IT demands. She loved wandering the mostly empty office, although everyone there loved her. Her favorite game was Hall Ball where Steve would throw a ball down the main corridor of the office and she would fly after it over and over again until she lay panting next to Steve as he worked. She even had a drawer in his desk that contained toys.

The school environment is different and it is not possible for her to be in the classroom while Steve teaches. Also, the school has a relatively strict policy against pets in the workplace. So WD has retired her role of "Office Supervisor" except here in OUR office.

My rebels, Steve and White Dog, returned home with happy smiles. Shutting off security in the building took longer than Steve walking to his office and retrieving what was needed. So he had to wait while the process cycled and he could then reset the alarm. During that time, he led White Dog into the main classroom hallway.

"Remember this?" he asked her as he threw the ball he had specially brought down the hallway. She looked at him. "Go ahead, it is just us." And she was off streaming white furs as she powered after the ball. She skidded to grab the ball; her momentum kept her sliding but she hung on to the yellow prize. Then she got up and trotted almost the length of the hall back to Steve.

"One more time and then we have to get home," Steve told her. This time she was running before he released the ball. She returned to his side. "Come on, I will show you where I live when here." A quick loop through the employee doors led to another section and he motioned for her to hop up in his chair. He took the ball she had been carrying. "I will keep this right in my desk for next time," he promised.

And then they set the alarm, scampered through the doors and threw the locks.