I used to think dogs were completely without guile. Then we got Samantha. She's a beautiful hound mix who looks like a small, sleek Black and Tan Coonhound. She's bright, talkative, and confident that she can outwit, outplay, and outlast anyone.
Samantha uses various ploys to manipulate me, my husband, and our Treeing Walker Coonhound, Katie. For example, the other day I was cutting up chicken for dinner. Samantha went to the back door and barked to go out. As soon as I left the chicken to let her out, she ran for the chicken. I could just hear her snickering under her breath. I managed to save the chicken before it was too late and reminded her that she really is not smarter than I am. That's what I tell myself, anyway.
She frequently uses such "bait and switch" tactics to get Katie to vacate a comfortable spot where Samantha would like to lie down. Unfortunately, Samantha is smarter than Katie, so it works most of the time. However, Katie beats Samantha hands down when it comes to some traits we normally expect from man's best friend, such as trustworthiness and innocence. Katie is as sweet as Samantha is mischievious.
We wouldn't trade either of them for a million dollars.
No comments:
Post a Comment