The Welcome Home Doggy Dance

Our kids go nuts when we leave the house together. It doesn't matter if we hang out across the street at a neighbor friend's house or take off for a few hours to run an errand. In their tiny little brains, they always assume we're spending that entire amount of time with other pups.

Last week, Lisa and I enjoyed an impromptu date night. It included dinner and a trip to Home Depot. We even managed to squeeze in a trip to the grocery store.

Each and every single time Lisa and I arrive home, there's a process we must go through.

Once inside, the Welcome Home Doggy Dance begins. Coco and Sophie take turns jumping up on each of us. Lobo does his 3-legged bounce and belts out yips that sound like a house alarm. Willa scrambles around trying to find one of her 76 fetch balls.

Lisa squats down. I sit on the floor. Then suddenly, the dance stops and the sniffing commences. Every inch of our bodies is sniffed. This is the point when either 1 of 2 things happen...

If we have spent time with other pups, we confess. Who. What. Where. When. And, why. Our kids demand the tiniest of details.

Or...

If we didn't spend time with another pup, we swear on everything we own that we didn't pet or even look at another pup.

Once the sniff down is complete, the kids move to the retail and/or grocery bags. Lisa and I stand up. Snap, crackle, pop goes the knees. We stretch. Wait. And wait.

After a few minutes, the kids scatter to various rooms to find their favorite toys and plop down on the sofa, one of the many doggy beds, or our bed. It's their way of letting us know all is good. We can proceed with emptying the grocery bags and making dinner.

Life. Is. Good.