John was sceptical about this. Onyx, on the other hand, was excited. The Black Lab was pulling at John’s leash, sniffing the air as they got closer to the park. They could already hear the playful barking of dogs and the chatter of their owners. John sighed, already a bit overwhelmed. He knew this will be good for Onyx to play with other dogs, but he wasn’t so sure about the socializing part he himself would have to do.

He was new to the neighbourhood, and so far he successfully avoided human contact. He was perfectly comfortable by himself, and besides… his line of work wasn’t exactly relationship friendly. A canine companion was the only one willing to put up with him.

However, Onyx was restless. And even if John had a habit of neglecting his own needs sometimes, he would never do that to his dog. So when he found a flyer advertising dog agility meet ups every Saturday at the local park, he figured this would be perfect to keep his black pup happy.

As they entered the park, John looked around awkwardly, not even sure what to do. But Onyx was already doing excited tippy-taps, tongue hanging out of his mouth.

“You wanna go play, huh?” John chuckled, unhooking Onyx’s leash so he could run freely. “But be a good boy, yeah? If you behave nicely you will get a treat.” John said, pulling a packet of dog treats out of his pocket.

And oh my, those treats must have smelled great, because moments later John had a random dog nudging his hand with its nose. Onyx excitedly greeted the new friend, and both dogs were instantly wagging their tails and sniffing each other.

“Oh God, I’m so sorry!” - John lifted his gaze as he heard that, and noticed the dog’s owner rushing towards him. “What did I tell you about begging for treats from strangers!” {{user}} scolded their dog, shooting John an apologetic look.