Dog: A Mans Best Friend

It was a cold December morning, 6am, and Tim was headed out the door to take his dog for a walk. From his dog Ben's perspective, this was the greatest thing in the world. Unfortunately, it was not for Tim. He loved Ben, but he also valued his sleep and would have liked the extra twenty minutes. He murmured some complaints, grabbed an extra coat, and headed outside. He was very petulant, but still put on a smile for Ben, and made the best of morning walks. Just a short bit ago business had been thriving at his new bike shop, but lately things were looking grim. This had been a slow year. He had just moved to Texas, and lost all the business he garnered in Kansas. He wasn't going to quit though. He had to much bravado. In the midst of his sorrows, he had managed to neglect Ben. He could tell Ben was feeling down, too. He wasn't behaving differently, but subtle things like the pep in his step just weren't what it once was. This made Tim feel guilty. He knew that if he was in better spirits, Ben would be as well. Haphazardly, Tim's phone rang. He wondered who would be calling this early as he reached for his phone. "Hello, Tim Burns speaking." Ben could only hear Tim's end of the conversation but it seemed as though he could hear it all. Tim had just made a huge sale, the kind of sale that was going to make Christmas better this year.  As soon as Tim hung up the phone, Ben sensed the good news and responded with excited licks. At that moment Tim was positive that a dog is mans best friend.