Petting My Master's Dog Wasn't So Bad After All

So here's the deal. I'm in my early 20s and have been playing little for a couple of years now, mostly on and off with one particular dominant. Let’s call him Sir, he’s pretty old school about these things but he’s also got this weird sense of humor that makes me laugh even when he's being strict. Anyway, last weekend we were planning to meet up at his place for some playtime. As I was walking over, there was one thing on my mind: his dog. This big golden retriever named Max who never seems to be in a good mood around littles. He’d growl and snap when anyone came near me. Now, Sir had told me beforehand that he wanted me to come into the house with him, no stopping outside for anything. I was nervous about it because of the dog. But you know what? I love my master, and I respect his rules so... I did it. As we walked in, Max got up from where he was laying near the door and came towards me, growling a bit. Instead of backing away, I stood there looking down at him and gave him a little hand gesture like 'what now?'. And you know what happened next? He sniffed my hands, then my legs. Then something totally unexpected: he leaned his head against one of the legs where he knew I wouldn’t be able to kick him. It was this weird moment where it felt like Max was acknowledging me as a part of the family. After that, Sir and I went into the room for our playtime session. He was happy with how well I followed his instructions and didn't let fear stop me from going in, that earned some praise. Afterward, we were relaxing on the couch when Max came over again, but this time wagging his tail, and he licked my hand gently. Looking back, petting Sir's dog was a challenge at first but ended up being a weird little victory for me. I guess it's funny how sometimes what you think will be a problem turns out to be something that bonds you even more with your Master in ways you never expected.