Boiler Man

Rich, my favorite boiler man came for the annual tune up the other day. I tried to introduce him to Romeo but Romeo got spooked and ran upstairs. "I'm sorry, I should have introduced you outside. He didn't expect to suddenly see a person in the boiler room," I said. "Don't take it personally. He's a bit shy with men. We adopted him from the shelter in October. He's a sweetie but sometimes it takes a few minutes for him to feel safe," I said.
"I love animals. My daughter lives with me and she has two beagles. She takes them for walks on the bike path. Here's a photo of them in their winter coats," he said, showing me on his phone.
"I recognize that spot at the entrance."
"Yes, that's where they are. My daughter spoils them," he said. "She made them a dog bed from an old baby crib. She sawed off the legs and kept the mattress and made the railings into swinging double doors. They love it. She even has a sound machine hooked up in there that plays nature sounds."
"Birds?" I asked.
"Waterfalls," he replied. "Otherwise they'll go nuts when they hear me come home. I told her if she ever has kids she won't be able to spoil them like this."