Puppy Love.

Today, Josh and I met my Dad and his dog, Tucker, at the Dog Park in Lowell.

It's a magical place where dogs can roam free and meet new friends, and a great way to meet and converse with others.  As a person who enjoys the art of conversation, it's interesting to hang out at a dog park.  Quite honestly, I think that it is the easiest place to have a conversation with a stranger.  Here's a typical example:

"Hi! How are you?"

("Good, how are you?")

"What's your dogs name?"

(Insert name here, repeat question to me)

"What breed is he?"

(Insert breed here, repeat question to me)

"How long have you had him?"

(Insert length of time here, repeat question to me)

"Do you live in this area?"

(Insert answer here, repeat question to me) 

(Also at any time, insert cute/nice/complimentary remarks about strangers' dog)

From there, you can pretty easily stem into things like where they work, their family, or other interests.

It's brilliant!

and super easy.

(If only the interests we had with strangers were as obvious as the common interest of having a dog at a dog park... ::sigh:: Life would be so much more enjoyable, don't you think?)

Sooooo, if you have a difficult time conversing with strangers I would like to recommend a puppy to you, friend.  It works like a charm. (While I'm on the subject,  I would also recommend the book "How to Win Friends and Influence People". Seriously.)

Anyway, here are some photos from our adventure today! 

Our little ...family?  (Does a puppy make us more of a family? Hmm.)

Playing.

Plopping.

The above picture is his "plop" look.  Sometimes when we are going for walks and such, he just "plops" on the ground.  It is so super cute.  This is a great shot of it!

The below picture is his, "I am going to steal your heart right this very second!" look.

Dad, Buddy, and Tucker.

Yes, yes you will!