When Good Dogs Go Bad...

So the other morning, the Boss Lady lets us out for our last pee-break before she leaves for that thing she calls her job. We had already been out earlier to do the "sniff everything, chase the squirrels routine" and this was just a last chance "to do what you need to do" outing.

The Boss Lady was busy doing the weird ritual she goes through every morning where she walks around frantically looking for her purse, briefcase, etc. I don't know why she doesn't use her nose to sniff these things out like us dogs do - it would save her a lot of time.

Anyway, she called us in and I immediately came bounding up the porch steps (because I'm the good dog). Then came Limerick, a little slower than I think the Boss Lady would have liked, but he did at least come on the first call. We'll take what progress we can get.

But Dublin? Well, he completely blew off the Boss Lady's call and ran out to the cherry tree to look for squirrels. I was appalled! That was the type of behavior I had come to expect from Limerick, but Dublin should have known better. What kind of example was this to set for Limerick? It is hard enough keeping the little guy on the straight and narrow as it is, without Dublin setting such a bad example.

The Boss Lady called again, but Dublin appeared to have developed a case of Sudden Hearing Loss.

The Boss Lady let us two good dogs (who would have thought the little guy would have ever been put in that category, huh?) in the house and headed out to get Dublin. She didn't want to go too far out in the yard because it was really muddy from all the rain we had been getting and the Boss Lady was in her nice "going to her job" shoes. But Dublin was still ignoring her calls.

I knew I had to do something - back in my wild and crazy youth when I had whelped a few litters of my own, I knew I would have never tolerated such nonsense from one of my boys! And Dublin, well his attitude this morning just went to show that boys are never too old for a motherly scolding.

The Boss Lady was about halfway out into the muddy yard when I burst through the back door. She turned at the sound of the door slamming and, expecting it to be Limerick, was surprised to see me standing there (I'm the good dog, remember?)

The Boss Lady told me to go back to the house, so I turned like I was going to run back up to the house and she turned back to Dublin. I hated to trick the Boss Lady like that. She never questioned that I wasn't going to go running back up to the house, trusting soul that she is. But desperate times call for desperate measures (and it was really muddy out by the cherry tree). My disobedience was for the greater good. I took a wide path around the Boss Lady and ran up to Dublin. I gave him a quick scolding ("Didn't you hear her? She said come back to the house! What kind of example are you setting for Limerick? You should know better!") Then I gave him a quick lick to the cheek to let him know there were no hard feelings and told him to come with me "right now!" to go back to the house. Dublin dutifully followed me back up.

The Boss Lady was just standing there in shock but finally she walked back up to the house, too. I got a quick belly rub and a cookie for a "job well done!".

~Anya (the good dog)