Sneaky Pete

Friday night, Josh, Rachel, and Murphy were back for a visit. Technically they were supposed to be cleaning Marva's basement but had stopped by for some pizza before starting their tedious task. Ray was thrilled. He had been sleeping soundly on the bed upstairs (it was a long week of daycare for him, I've been back at work), when all of a sudden I heard him thump thump off of the bed onto the floor. He hurried downstairs and stood at attention at the front door. "What's up, Ray?" I asked. I hadn't heard anything. About a minute later Josh, Rachel, and Murphy were all standing on the porch.

While Ray and Murphy raced around the yard, the human's visited and ate dinner in the living room. When things got a little too noisy out back, we brought the dogs in and closed the dog door. Murphy, as usual, was doing her best imitation of Pigpen. Mud clung to every centimeter of her lower half. Josh gave her a wipedown and turned her loose. After a few minutes of stretching out on the cool floor, panting like crazy, Murphy jumped up to join Rachel and I on the sofa. That left only Ray without a place to park himself.

Ray moseyed on over to where Gregg was sitting. He pushed his chest against the chair cushion and "stared" at Gregg. Gregg did not flinch "You're not getting this chair, Ray," said Gregg. Ray put his front feet on the chair. Looming ensued. Gregg did not move. Ray's eyebrows did the eyebrow dance on his forehead. Still Gregg did not move.

Ray sighed and lowered his feet to the floor. He turned to the coffee table and snuffled along the edge until he got to Gregg's wine glass. The glass had an inch of wine in the bottom. Ray snuffled the glass for a second then "accidently" nosed it over. The remnants of the wine splashed onto the rosewood table. Gregg jumped from his chair and went to grab a handful of paper towels to mop up the spill. Ray turned to the chair, climbed up, and curled into a ball before Gregg realized what had happened. Ray looked relaxed, but his eyes remained open, his telltale eyebrows giving him away.

We all laughed. Gregg good natured-ly gave Ray a pat and perched on a corner of his former chair.

No, our dog is not spoiled.