Then he lowers his muzzle.
Blue releases the ball through the gap beneath the kennel door.
The tennis ball rolls into the hallway.
Blue remains inside.
He stands behind the gate and waits.
The ball is now on the person's side.
There is no need to invent what Blue believes will happen next.
His behavior is clear enough.
He has brought a familiar toy to the gate.
He has put it within reach of the person standing outside.
And he waits there for someone to throw it back.
Sometimes Nobody Throws It
That is where Blue's appearance becomes more than a cosmetic difference.
It can affect whether an interaction ever begins.
A visitor approaches.
They notice his face.
One side of his lip appears abnormal.
One eye does not blink like the other.
They interpret what they see as an angry expression.
Then they move on.
Blue may still carry the tennis ball toward the front.
He pushes it outside.
But there is nobody there to pick it up.
The ball remains in the hallway.
Blue stands on the other side of the bars.
The interaction he appeared ready to have never happens.