The cocker spaniel is a barker. She barks when she thinks it's time to get fed, she barks when someone is at the door, and she barks incessantly if the beagle is doing something wrong. It's a quick quick come and look at this, look at what she's doing now kind of bark.
Bark bark, look the beagle's trying to get the food out of the bin.
Bark bark, look the beagle's digging a hole.
Bark bark, look the beagle's on top of the kitchen table eating the birthday cake, again.
Bark bark, look the beagle's inside of the refrigerator eating straight from the butter container, again.
Recently, late at night when the children were in bed and G and I were halfway through a bottle of wine and a movie, G made his way into the kitchen for a chocolate run.
"Holy shi..." he sounded like he'd discovered a corpse.
And he had.
There in the kitchen was the beagle, proudly displaying a massive, dead pigeon.
The cocker spaniel hadn't said a word, all she had for us was a look. A look that said that beagle is a psycho and I don't want anything to do with it.
"Why didn't she bark?" I couldn't work it out, she took such delight in being a dobber, I thought she would have reveled in the moment.
"Because she's realized she's sleeping next to a killer" G said as he bagged the corpse.
Over the weekend G walked into the kitchen once again and found the cocker spaniel on her own with the same look on her face.
"Where's the beagle?" he called out.
"Isn't she in the kitchen? Why?"
"The cocker spaniel has that look on her face - something's up."
We cordoned off the area and began to search the house. It was mid search when I remembered the second traveller had proudly displayed the remains of her Halloween treats in our room while I'd showered earlier.
"Upstairs!"
She was standing on the bed with a chupa chup lollipop in her mouth when I pushed open the door. Toffee was stuck to her nose and empty kit kat wrappers lay at her feet. My pillow was stained with a mixture of beagle juice and gummy bears, sticky bits of mottled beagle hair clung to the quilt.
"OUT!" I yelled as she raced past me with a tootsie roll in her mouth.
The cocker spaniel didn't say a word, she let out a sigh, put her head back down on her bed. I don't want anything to do with it.
Sometimes, I guess, it's just easier not to bark.
I'm sure it's the breed! Beagles must just be built to be like that.. And the look! We know our girl has escaped based on the reaction of our other dog.. lol. Love it.
ReplyDeleteOur labradoodle got into Zoe's Halloween candy last year. I was a bit worried because of the chocolate ... I couldn't quite work out what he had actually eaten - until the next day when he pooped a Cherry Ripe wrapper. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI don't have dogs so I can't relate but I love how you have described your cocker spaniel. I can almost see that look on his face which made you realize something was up. I know people like that. Great post Kirsty.
ReplyDeleteOh yes! We've had that too. G often tells the story of having to "assist" in the removal of glad-wrap that was once covering a sandwich. I think he refers to it as one of the low points of his and the beagle's relationship.
ReplyDeleteBeagles are escape artists and over eaters, and that's their good points :-)
ReplyDeleteOh Kirsty, this has made we laugh! I discovered our beagle under the kitchen table with the remnants of a box of Christmas chocolates he had stolen from a bedroom. Goodness knows how he managed to unwrap each individual chocolate and spit out the wrapper....
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