Happy dog story

[mrissa]

Some of my friends are dealing with some pretty bad stuff at the moment and have asked for cute animal stories or baby stories or otherwise purely happy stories. So:

Sunday night markgritter packed his suitcase for his trip to California this week. Yesterday morning while he was showering getting ready to go, I got Ista out of bed. She is usually in a good mood in the mornings (yep, that's my dog), but yesterday was far beyond her usual morning happiness. The scruffing, the wagging, the licking, oh. I had to remind her twice what we were outside to do, because she was too busy twining around my legs and licking my calves. This is practically unheard-of first thing in the morning: she had an immediate and instinctive understanding of Why Dogs Go Outside First Thing in the Morning.

So. We went in and sat down in the library, where there was more scruffing and wagging and licking, and then she nosed my knee and went to the bottom of the stairs. Monkey, let's go upstairs. Fine. So I followed her upstairs. She went straight to markgritter's suitcase, nosed it, wagged, and said, "Arr arrrrrr?" I said, "Yes, Ista gets to go." Some sentences she puzzles out, but this is one she knows without doubt. Flurry of wagging, scruffing of bedclothes, knocking pillows around, looking at me with her head upside down and her wiggly little butt in the air, much dogly happiness. Little clown. Then she ran to markgritter's office and scratched at the door of the closet where we keep the suitcases. I pulled out the bag we use for her when she goes down to the folks', and she trotted downstairs to take up her post on her bench in the music room, watching for mormor1 to come take markgritter to the airport and take Ista for a fun week at Mormor and Morfar's Luxury Accommodations For Poodles until the steady monkey returns.

That dog is smart.

Comments

[profrobert.livejournal.com]

My four-year-old agnostidaughter (an only child) upon hearing of my son's birth on Sunday, asked her mother if she could be his big sister. Mom said she'd ask me, and I said, "Of course!" Family can be as much about whom you pick as whom you draw. The more people we have to love, the better our lives.

[redbird]

Excellent.

My nephew turned 18 this weekend. It's the same sort of chosen relationship, though I got him, or vice versa, when he was a bit older.

[sraun]

Oh, that's cute!

[sam-t.livejournal.com]

That's really quite intelligent! My cat hasn't quite got the hang of why doors don't always open when you stand on your hind legs and push them (On the other hand, they usually open when you sit in front of them and stare at the door handle. Eventually.). She's a cute bundle of fluff, but she's not the brightest moggy in the world.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

We're pretty grateful that Ista stayed just a tiny bit too short to open our doors, because she does understand how it works, and all of our interior doors have lever handles. It's be a pain in the butt to have to replace them all with round ones to keep the dog from wandering in and out at will when someone is sleeping or on a business call or etc.

[athenais.livejournal.com]

I've lived with two poodles (Gigi and Noelle), both smarter than I was as far as I can tell. Loved them, love the Ista stories.

[rosefox]

Oh, clever puppy!

[coalboy.livejournal.com]

Of _course_ she's smart, she's a poodle! who lives with smart humans, and it rubs off, making her even smarter!

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

She listens so intently when I talk to her that I'm no longer surprised when it becomes clear she's figured out another word or phrase.

My parents have talked about running into poodles out for walks who look plaintively at them as if to say, "I got stuck with stupid monkeys! Help!"

[coalboy.livejournal.com]

Loud giggle. _How_ do dogs put up with human stupidity?!