Laila

Laila is staying with us for about a week. Summers in Boston are hot, and this time Laila arrived at our house shaved. She still carries her large head majestically high, yet together with her fir she lost some of her regal looks. In case you have not met her, Laila is a big and friendly dog, half Golden Retriever and half Great Pyrenees. She is a very well behaved girl, though occasionally, overwhelmed by excitement, she still jumps on people.

This is the third time that Laila is staying with us. The first time was about a year and a half ago, when she was only 10 months old. Back then, Laila and I tended to jump on people together—she would get excited and jump and I, firmly gripping the leash, would inevitably follow. But we all do silly things when we are young.

When taken outdoors Laila loves to explore. When we first met her, she was exploring effects of nicotine on canine digestive system. In the process, she ate up every cigarette butt she could find on the street. Naturally, our entire walks were spent looking for cigarette butts together. When Laila found one she ate it, and when I saw one, I pulled on the leash as hard as I could to prevent her from eating it. Admittedly I still first scream “фу”, and only then remember to shout “leave it,” when I see the dog eating something inappropriate. Thankfully, nowadays Laila is more interested in tracking other dogs, rather then searching for cigarette butts.

Laila will go home on Wednesday night. Maybe I won’t miss getting up early to take her out for a walk, but I will miss the wet nose in my face, and the big dog stretched out at my feet.