Found Out How Much Doggie Client Loves Me.
I have been walking this dog, a rescue lab named Archie for a little over a year. His mom was looking on NextDoor for somebody to take him out a few times a week to go to the bathroom and get exercise when she didn't have the time.
At the time I worked remotely and was looking to make some extra cash. Her house is 5 minutes away so a fifteen minute to half hour walk in the early afternoon was pretty easy to fit into my schedule.
At first he pulled a lot and would attempt to eat pretty much anything off the ground. He's very fast and doesn't like anyone near his mouth, so I couldn't stop him. He's become a lot more well-behaved since then; he still pulls sometimes and he'll still try to eat stuff off the ground, but more often than not he'll actually listen if I tell him to drop it.
All this is context, I guess. I went to walk him this afternoon and his mom was on the phone with a friend. Of course, Archie was very excited to see me; he did some tippy-taps and then began to lean against me while I pet him.
Mom begins to tells the person on the other end of the phone what Archie is doing; apparently - he never leans against her. He likes cuddling with her on the couch and getting belly rubs - but the leaning? Only me.
I never really thought about the leaning much. It's something dogs do - and I didn't think it was necessarily special. I also didn't think of Archie as a particularly affectionate dog - he doesn't really give kisses or anything. I know he's always excited to see me - but I guess I thought it was something he did with most visitors.
Anyway, apparently this dog really loves me and it makes me feel really special and happy. He's such a sweetie.