Reverted

I sit on the front steps. It's seven am. Orion is attached to his cord and is tearing around the yard butt tucked. I shake my head. "You're insane," I say. We have been on a walk. No one else is awake. He has been like this for three days....reverted to some puppyhood that I'm not going to lie, I haven't missed. Now he is behind me, drooling on my shoulder.
"Hey. Leave me alone. I need some space from you right now and this is my breakfast. You already had yours." I pull his collar so that he has to move in front of me. I look up and stare at the basket of half chewed dead toys that I'm donating to the great beyond. I tried to make it clear that the chewed basket could go too by putting a trash bag on top. It's moving time and anything in excess has to go.
The neighbors dogs come by and it becomes bark fest. I am sure to move out of the line of his cord. No need for broken limbs or decapitations.
Next comes Herb, my old neighbor friend who walks his small dog daily. Herb stops tell me about his dog is going to deaf and how it must be old age. And I smile and agree, thinking of how he missed my earlier greeting for probably a similar reason.
As he moves on Ron, the late night shift, guy pulls in and his old dog prowls the yard for her pee break. Orion bounces around like Tigger before Ron takes pity on him and comes over to pat him. This routine has gone on since Orion was a puppy and is nothing new, though this time I watch Ron teeter as Orion leaps up to kiss his face and his balance wobbles.  "geez Orion, you tryin to knock me down the steps?"
"He's taken me out that way before so I wouldn't put it past him."
Ron moves on and Orion comes nicely up beside me and I pat his face. Behind me I her the other neighbor, looking to take his dog out for a pee break. "it's cool," I say, "we are just hanging out out here. give me a second to get him in and it's all yours."
And so we move inside and our quiet (but crazy) morning comes to a close as I get ready for work.