February 11, 2018

White Dog's Gotcha Day is this week; she arrived as a wee pup on Valentine's Day. 13 years later she is the stately Queen of the White Dog Army. But this morning My Girl showed the unbridled attitude and spunk that gave us so many laughs in those puppy "only" years.

One of the games White Dog would play (and she invented many that became White Dog Army classics), we named "If I Did Not Approve It, Remove It!"

It involved pacing back and forth across the sofa. Resting against the pillow on the end. Looking surprised at the pillow. Sniffing it suspiciously. And then using a head flip to toss the offending pocket of fluff on the floor. Then triumphantly looking down with a defiant "yip" at the offender on the floor.

The game was played until every decorative accent was pushed off. Then she would curl up against the arm of the couch and close her eyes. This game was not played everyday; in fact, she has always loved sleeping on or headed buried under the pillows. But some days, she was a bit like the Queen of Hearts and "off with their heads."

That was the game she played while the others were out in the yard with Steve (save poor Stormer who ended up with a pillow landing on him). Same puppy spirit. Same feisty attitude. Same look to me to make sure I was watching. And the new couch has a chaise at one end that provides sort of a runway to provide the setting for a glorious fini of kicking the last pillow down its length, planting one's feet firmly, and then giving a goat-like head-butt that sends the square sailing across the room.

"Score!"