Finally in the house, Maggie took a detour to the bedroom as I walked towards the back door.

Jake and Buster, or “Jake and Busted” as Maggie calls them, have been with us since they were pups. They are from the same litter and both five years old now, and for a Labrador that means they’re still pretty much puppies. I don’t think Labrador Retrievers ever grow up actually. They just slow down, and these two are still at full stride.

Jake is the Alpha. He’s the yellow one, first born, according to the farmer we bought them from. His little brother Buster is about 3 minutes younger than Jake. He is the black one and a brick or two shy of a full load, but a very lovable sort and constantly getting into trouble.

As I walked through the kitchen and approached the back door, the barking was turning into something between a yelp and a whine, as they were in full-on “Oh, boy, the door’s about to open” mode.

I don’t know how this got started because they never do this to Maggie, but every time they greet me they like to tag-team me by jumping as high as they can until I throw something for them to fetch.