Well have you ever tried playing eye-spy with a load of dogs? Once you get round the problem that most of them can’t spell, then you encounter their limited imaginations. By the time you have done grass, post, slipper, bone, bowl and chew, they tend to get a bit stuck. You don’t seem to get many dogs that want to differentiate a horse-chestnut from a beech, or a rose bush from a rhododendron. They accused me of showing off, but I think it was more a case of limited horizons on their part. There is a possibility that I may have spent a bit too long with humans and not enough time with other dogs. Maybe that is what I should say to my mistress in an attempt to get her to give me a puppy. I wouldn’t want a puppy that is going to grow up to be bigger than I am. I wouldn’t be very happy if I found I wasn’t top-dog, at least of the dogs in the house. (Although there is still some dispute between my master and me about which of us comes higher. I do like to sleep in his spot whenever I can to make the point that in my opinion I do have rights.)
I do fear I might be becoming a bit lazy as I get older, maybe I get that from my humans too. Every so often I chase a ball for no good reason and charge round the house carrying one or other of my toys, but I don’t think I do it quite as much as I used to. I’ve given up on refusing to walk at heal too. Maybe I’ve grown up. I wonder if there is a cure for it. You don’t suppose at the age of nearly two it is time to take my responsibilities seriously do you?