A carpet of gold
Luna woke up to a different garden. Overnight the big maple tree had shaken loose half its leaves, and the lawn was covered in a crackling carpet of gold and amber. She stepped onto the grass, and the leaves crunched under her paws in the most satisfying way. She stopped, lifted one paw, pressed it down again, and listened to the sound. Then she did it with all four paws at once, doing a little happy spin that sent leaves flying in every direction.
The perfect leaf
Not every leaf was worth chasing. Luna quickly developed opinions. The small brown ones were boring. The soggy ones stuck to her nose in an undignified way. But the big golden maple leaves, the ones shaped like tiny hands, were perfect. She picked one up carefully, carried it to the porch, set it down, and went back for another. By midmorning she had a collection of eleven perfect leaves arranged in a row, and she guarded them like a dragon guards treasure.
The wind joins in
Just as Luna finished arranging her collection, a gust of wind swept through the garden and scattered all eleven leaves across the lawn. Luna froze. Then her tail started wagging, faster and faster, because she understood instantly that the wind wanted to play too. She chased the tumbling leaves, leaping and pouncing, and every time she caught one the wind snatched it away again. It was the best game she had ever played.
Buddy investigates
Buddy came outside to see what all the noise was about. He watched Luna hurl herself into a pile of leaves, disappear completely, and then pop back up wearing a leaf on her head like a hat. Buddy, who prided himself on being a serious patrol dog, tried to maintain his dignity. He lasted about forty seconds before he was rolling in the leaves too, and the two of them wrestled happily in the golden drift by the fence.
The leaf pile
Ahmad raked the scattered leaves into one enormous pile by the garden shed. Luna watched the pile grow with widening eyes. When it was taller than she was, Ahmad stepped back and nodded. That was all the permission she needed. Luna launched herself into the pile, vanished, and then her nose poked out of the top, sniffing triumphantly. Buddy followed. Mac arrived last and simply sat in the middle of the pile like a king on a crunchy throne.
A rustling nap
After an hour of leaf games, all three puppies were exhausted. They curled up together in the hollow Luna had made in the middle of the pile, and the leaves settled around them like a blanket. Every time one of them shifted, the pile rustled softly. Luna sighed the deep sigh of a puppy who has had a perfect morning, tucked her nose under her paw, and fell asleep to the gentle crackling sound of autumn.
The souvenir
When Luna woke up, she carefully selected one perfect golden leaf, the biggest and brightest of the day, and carried it inside. She placed it next to her food bowl, where she could see it while she ate her dinner. It stayed there for a week, getting a little more curled every day, until it finally crumbled. By then the garden was full of new leaves, and Luna was ready for another hunt.
Field notes
Autumn leaves are safe for puppies to play in, as long as the pile is free of sticks, mold, and anything sharp. Rake leaves into a soft pile, check it first, and let your puppy enjoy one of the simplest and happiest games of the season.
