My Dogs are Smarter (Or Tales of the four-footed fly-swatter)

As I made brief note in another post, I had a little bit more of a leisurely day yesterday than normal. In fact, I stayed home from work for several reasons. On such a day, the dogs are let loose, free to run around the house as well as spend as much time as they desire outside in the back yard. Yesterday was a gorgeous desert spring-day, so they were outside often.

We encourage both to use the doggie-door though at times we'll also open the patio door and leave it open. As a result, occasionally we get a fly or two that finds it's way into the house as happened yesterday.

In the past I've noticed that as said fly tries desperately to find a way out of the house by repeatedly banging itself against one of the windows in the dining room that face the back, Lacy our lab takes notice. In fact, she has tried on more than one occasion to catch the pesky insect as if it were a larger form of doggie-prey. With naught for success, I might add.

Yesterday was Cassie's turn. At one point in the late afternoon she spent nearly an hour hopping onto the window sill and pressing snout-to-glass tried to catch the poor helpless insect. When it flew away, she would immediately start hunting for it again--sniffing around the floor, looking up towards the ceiling, sniff, sniff, sniffing for it.

Invariably the fly would return to the window and the whole process would resume from the top. As we got closer to dinner time, I found myself in the dining room/kitchen area with Lacy laying docilely on the floor. One down, one to go. Where was Cassie?

I had noticed quite some time earlier that the ballet she was performing with this insect at the window had ended. But what of her, where had she gone? So off I go looking for the smaller, calmer dog.

And there she is, lying on the couch intently studying...something. Note: any time a dog is sitting on the furniture or even on the carpet and it's mouth is involved in any way, the sirens sound and the need for action is immediate!

"What are you doing? What have you got there...?"

The fly of course. When I got close enough to see clearly, she was sitting there with the dead fly on the couch between her forearms looking as though at any minute she's going to devour it as an evening snack.

"No! We don't need to do that, Cassie leave it alone!"

And she did; she hopped off the couch, leaving the dead insect as if it were some sort of offering delivered to appease mommy & daddy: "See what I have caught, what I have done for the good of the house-hold!?"

Yes my littlest-one, what a wonderful gift you have brought us! Now let me get a paper-towel and clean off the couch...