Dog Tales

Usually, Mocha is curled up behind the big comfy chair in my sitting room snoozing, like she is at this very moment, but yesterday she decided to sit in a small space between the window and said chair. There she sat staring, at what I do not know, while I read. Occasionally, she would turn her head and look out the window to make sure no bunnies had hopped into her territory. This is a critical activity in her role as watcher and protector.

She's quick to sound the alarm if there is movement or noise she can't identify. While all the sitting and staring was going on, a retreatant had the audacity to walk across the floor upstairs, over our heads. She immediately cranked up the low threatening growl that precedes the all-out barking frenzy. As the human I was able to assess that this act of walking across the room was not an eminent threat and we were not in danger of being disemboweled. To encourage her to stop growling and stave off the barking frenzy, I pointed my index finger at her and said in a stern momma voice, "NO." Heretofore, this has been an ineffective disciplining technique, but for some reason, I keep doing it and she keeps ignoring me...until yesterday.

Do you know what she did when I pointed my index finger within inches of her nose and said emphatically, "NO."?

SHE LICKED MY FINGER. Slurp!

I don't know who laughed harder, her or me, but she did stop growling!