My husband and I went out to lunch at Texas Roadhouse with a few friends. Ratchet went along for the ride and sat in the car while we went inside to eat. Afterward we were standing around in the parking lot saying our goodbyes and I went to get Ratchet out of the car to meet Tony, our out of town friend who would soon be leaving again. As soon as he saw Ratchet this 6' 6", 200 lb rough and tumble native New Yorker became a little kid again. His face lit up in a smile as bright as high noon in the desert. Tony just kept saying over and over,"Oh you are so beautiful! You are so beautiful!" Then he opened up his doggy bag containing his lunch leftovers of sirloin steak kabobs and started feeding them to Ratchet. That hound thought he had died and gone to heaven because he rarely ever gets people food, much less steak! Tony finally just held the plate down for Ratchet to just have at it and have at it he did. We all had a big laugh at them carrying on together. I told Tony that I think he is now Ratchet's new favorite "Uncle".
It never ceases to amaze me the joy that even a brief encounter with a dog can bring to a persons life. Last year I took Ratchet with me to a large event at the civic center that hosted hundreds if not thousands of people. I lost count at how many people stopped me to ask me what kind of dog he was and if they could pet him. Even people just passing by could not help but smile when they saw him. The best part was as we were leaving one of the ladies that was helping at the event asked if she could pet Ratchet. She squatted down in front of him and hugged him tightly and just went on and on about how sweet he was. When she was done petting Ratchet she thanked me and said she had been feeling down and after she had seen him it had made her happy again.
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