We have two dogs in the house right now. One is old, crippled and grumpy. The other is 6 months old, energetic and clueless. The younger one is constantly irritating the old one with requests to play, barks, shoulder checks and cold-nosed butt-sniffing. The older dog lets the younger one know in no uncertain terms that she is not enjoying the attention by menacingly growling, barking back and even snapping at the younger dog.

I'm watching this go on and feeling sorry for the older dog and affectionate towards the younger dog at the same time. There's something about unabashed, socially unaware, unbridled enthusiasm that is both annoying and endearing. It reminds me of several people that I've worked with. I wonder if I was that way in my youth, getting under the skin of the barnacle-encrusted old-timers.

Can someone explain this to me?