Being a Regular Dog Again

As you all know, there are two sides to a guide dog: The working guide dog in harness, and the "regular dog" that comes out when the harness comes off. The first is our job. The second is for letting off steam, and just having fun and relaxing and being a dog.
All week I had to be a guide dog. I had to ride busses and trains, enter coffee houses and elevators, and lie quietly while people attended to important things. I didn't get a free run for several days, and I spent a lot of time just sleeping. Not my usual life style at all.
So when Bracha set off from home down the road in the other direction yesterday, I knew that things were going to start looking up. Pretty soon we made the right turn and when we reached the place where we cut into the orchards and start the overland route, I turned hopefully and sure enough, Bracha told me to cross the road and go in. And then she stooped down and told me to stay, took off my harness, changed my collar to my black webbed one, and said, "Chofshi!" (Free!) And off I went. I couldn't stop running. And soon enough I found the first place to get nice and muddy. It seemed that Bracha didn't even care. If I wanted to goof off and be a regular dog, than I deserved it. And soon we got to the stream and in I went. There's not too much water at this time of year, but it's the stream just the same and it's still fun. And that wasn't all! On the way back I found a nice big leak in the irrigation pipes in the orchard, and in I went. By the time we got home I was half a white dog and half a black one, and was thoroughly contented. So Bracha got out the shampoo, the scrub brush, and the little pool, and I got scrubbed down, hosed off, and then rinsed off in the pool. And if that wasn't all I got a bowl of water with an ice cube in it and a new peanut butter Kong, too! Not that I don't think I deserve these things. But it is nice that Bracha takes my needs into consideration. I guess she appreciates me.