Hobbes: The People Dog

By Maddie Zug

It was 9:00 PM, the night after Halloween. Almost all the kids in the neighborhood stood there in the dark, gasping with anticipation every time a car turned the corner onto our street. I couldn’t wait until one of those cars was my mom’s, bringing home our adorable little puppy, named Hobbes. Suddenly a pair of headlights popped up on the corner, soon revealing my mom’s white Volkswagen Passat. Everyone screamed with joy as she pulled into the driveway, and we all filed into the house to meet our puppy for the first time. We sat down in a circle, holding treats in our laps, and trying to hold back our excitement so that he wouldn’t be scared. Hobbes quickly became comfortable with all the people, and was soon chasing his little squeaky toy around the living room.

Since that night, Hobbes has been a great neighborhood dog. He is always excited to see anyone that comes through our door. All my friends love to play with Hobbes, and he loves to get all the attention. He has always been great with kids, and has even helped two younger girls in the neighborhood (Zoe and Cali) get over their fear of dogs. His loving and non-aggressive personality allowed the girls to slowly get closer to him comfortably. Hobbes wagged his tail and licked their hands to show them that he wouldn’t hurt them, and soon they were running up and petting him like he was their own. This also taught them that dogs aren’t all crazy and nippy, and they are now more comfortable around new dogs that they meet.

Everyone that has met Hobbes has instantly fallen in love with him. Once, a family friend took care of Hobbes for a week while we were gone. They enjoyed his company so much that they decided to bring home a farmdog puppy of their own, named Champ.

Hobbes has proved to be the ultimate “people dog”. Not only does he love everyone he meets, but everyone he meets loves him.