WATCH: Cindy’s Dog Finds Great Joy in Chasing Fluff
We took our dog Toby to a picnic area, so he could enjoy some unfettered outdoor time, and he found great joy in jumping in the air after floating fluff.
Toby is a pitbull/lab mix, so he's high energy and sometimes needs space to just run around and build his muscles. On Sunday morning, my husband Jim and I decided to get some coffee and take him to a picnic area in Orrington. It's almost always quiet there, so Toby can run up and down the hill, jump in the piles of leaves, and just generally be the happy dog that he is. It's therapeutic for us, as well, as we look out over the Penobscot River and enjoy the crisp, Autumn air.
During this trip, however, Toby found some fluff floating in the air that Jim said was milkweed. Toby immediately starting jumping after it, and trying to bite it. I was laughing so hard, at first, that I forgot to get him on film. So, as I pointed my phone in his direction, Jim floated a few pieces of fluff in his direction...and Toby took the bait. Jumping, twirling, and biting at the air, he's incredibly happy, and that happiness is contagious.
Now, before you start posting comments, I know that milkweed can be toxic to dogs...in large quantities. But Toby hated it, so no worries there. He'd bite at it, and then shake his head to spit it out. Apparently, it looked a whole lot tastier than it actually was. Still, when more of the fluffy white stuff floated by, he had to bite at it again. I wonder if he'll do that when the snow flies? Time will tell.