Will called out “mama… “. When I went to Will, I found him standing on our bed and looking out the window. He seemed to have been standing there for a while looking and listening. When I arrived, he asked “what’s that?”

I listened and heard a dog howling out a long, sad and lazy sound. I told Will that it was a dog making that sound. I added that dog was missing his mama and papa and that that is why it was making that sound and that that sound was called a “howl”. When I saw a thoughtful and concerned look come across his face I added “his mama and papa are coming back soon and then he will be happy again.” He seemed to feel better about this because his look turned to mostly thoughtful.

Worried that he would stew on this predicament, especially given he had been having a hard time at day care until yesterday, I asked him “do you want to go get your doggie and hold him?”

“Yah” replied Will. He moved to got get it, then said, “doggie.” I went along with him while he found Goldie, a stuffed dog his dear friend Romy gave him for his first birthday, and we hugged, kissed and pet him.

Will, obviously thinking over the matter a little more, just about floored me when he said “I want to hold people’s dogs” which meant he wanted to hold the dog that was sadly waiting for its parents to come home. They way he said this was so sweet, so real.

“Do you want to get one of your other doggies?” Will ran to get Toby a small plush toy that came inside a package of Toblerone chocolates that his grandparents gave us. We pet and hugged and kissed Toby, even Goldie did.

Will seemed pretty satisfied with our efforts to cheer up the dogs because he went and placed Toby in one of his favorite corners to hang out and reflect in then, he took Goldie on a new play adventure.