March 31, 2016

White Dog LOVES cheesecake. It is perhaps one of her favorite treats. When she walked into the living room late to the party where each of the White Dog Army was receiving a bite from me and then swirling over to receive a similar gift from Steve, she could not push her way through the throng to get to my fork.

I saw her frantically begin pacing the perimeter. Not one of the White Dog Army respectfully cleared a path for their leader. No one heeded my "you have had a bite, let White Dog have hers."

But my girl is an engineer...a problem-solver...one who thinks outside the box. I saw her take control in her mind, assess the situation, and form a solution.

When White Dog was a puppy in her earliest days, we would sit on the deck. At the time there were bancos all around the perimeter which she would navigate and then return for cuddles. One day, she sat in my arms, her paws hooked over my shoulder. I loved her puppy floof and smell. She squirmed and before I could grab her tighter was on the hand rail of the deck's vertical "fence" trotting along the narrow top piece. She was a blithe as a high-wire artist.

Fast forward 11 years. White Dog is no longer a pup. And now she must be careful of a weak point in her spine. But White Dog LOVES cheesecake.

Before I figured out her plan, she put it into action.

WD stalked the far perimeter of the room and hopped up on the Watching Chair at the front window. Then she leaned across Pearl and stepped onto the glass top of the coffee table. The glass sits on a metal framework on little felt pads; it is not secured. This has never been a problem, but it was never meant to withstand such an assault.

I gasped, anticipating that her additional weight on one side would send the glass flipping over on top of her. Steve was on his feet trying to wade through the WDA.

But White Dog had done the physics and stepped to the center quickly enough to avoid disaster. The rest of the plan did not get played. Steve made it over to grab her and "toss" her into my lap before then. I suspect The Queen planned to leap from the table top over the crush of her siblings into my arms. Momma's ALWAYS catch you, right?

I wrapped my arms around her and shared the dessert she so wanted...and then reminded myself to breathe once again.

The White Dog Army took note of her stunt for a second then turned back to Steve for bites. "Don't EVEN think it," he told them. "Not one of you." He added with a particular look to our Darkest White Girl, daredevil Zsofia.