I had a long break from work today, so I came home to walk Yoshi. He spends too much time alone these days, with both his owners working double the hours we usually do in a week because of intensive classes. I try to get him some exercise by walking him in the afternoon when it’s not as cold, and I have enough energy to make it around the block a few times.

We went out on our walk as usual. In the elevator there was a pan and a garbage bag. The absent minded cleaning lady sometimes leaves her supplies in the elevator as she mops the floors of the apartment hallways. When she finishes cleaning whatever floor she is on, she calls the elevator up, grabs her stuff, and moves on to the next building. The lady might actually be some sort of halfling or hobbit, as she’s incredibly tiny and old. There was no sign of her, so we left her things in the elevator and went out for a walk around the block.

Yoshi has learned proper elevator etiquette.  He sits down in the middle of the elevator on command and peeks intensely at the crack in the elevator door. Occasionally he will go up to the door and press it with one paw, as if imitating pressing a button. It’s adorable. Anyway, Yoshi was watching the door carefully, as there is a noise that sounds when the it is about to open. He’ll hunch down with his head and face next to the door, and as soon as the doors open wide enough for his head to fit through, he’s out the door.

Today, as we came back from out walk, he did his little elevator routine again, waiting to squeeze his head through. The door opened, and on the other side was the diminutive cleaning lady, bent over sitting on a stool cleaning the outside of the elevator door. She had her face down close enough that Yoshi could give her a nice big kiss. She jumped up and shouted in surprise. I got Yoshi under control, as he was nearly as tall at this woman when standing on his hind legs. She retreated to the elevator, perhaps to grab the broom and shoved to beat off, what probably looked like to her some sort of fearsome giant hairy creature.

I assured her that she didn’t have to worry about my dog being scary, and headed back to my apartment before she went to go find her makeshift sword.