How May I Help You?

Yesterday something happened here that rarely occurs. Our greyounds are pretty typical of the breed in that they rarely bark. If someone comes in the door, there is about thirty seconds of fanfare before they go back to their respective napping places, well three of them do. Bunny will hold out until whoever had come in pets her. Alas, I digress. Yesterday afternoon, as I sat on the couch trying to get some writing done, Lilac stood on the other side of the coffee table and began to bark at me.

I was surprised. Lilac is not demanding at all. Sometimes she wants attention, but when she does, she simply walks up and buries her head against your chest. I had taken the dogs out an hour and a half earlier. They had been fed. It was an unusually cool summer day, so the temperature was comfortable. What else could she need?

Being the caring dog owner that I am, I got up and walked around the coffee table. She leaned against me, letting me know, as if I didn't already, that there was something she wanted. I petted her a little and leaned over close to her. We had a little conversation.

Me: Lilac, what's wrong?

Lilac: (barking meaningfully) Can't you tell?

Me: (whispering in her ear, lest the other dogs hear this part and start a riot) Do you have to go potty?

Lilac: (rolling her eyes and barking more insistantly) Of course not, I was just outside! How can you not see this?

Me: (looking around at the lay of the land) Oooooh! I think I get it!

Blueberry, in true diva fashion, had fluffed the two prime dog beds together so that she could lay her body on one bed and her head and front feet on the other. Hawk lay comfortably on the big orthopedic dog bed. Bunny was stretched out on the couch. Two small cushions lay unoccupied on the floor as a last resort.

Apparently, the cushions were not good enough for Lilac. There was a time when she would bark at Blueberry and Blue would instantly retreat to her crate. Now she simply ignores the scoldings of her mother. She closed her eyes and burrowed deeper into her nest of beds, pretending that she had no idea what Lilac wanted. Lilac barked at me again. I knew what I had to do. I oh so carefully pulled one bed from beneath Blueberry's front paws. She gave me a royal case of stinkeye when I did. I tossed the bed over to the side and fluffed it up a little. Lilac gave me a grateful look, then curled up on her bed, gave a little sigh and closed her eyes in contentment.

So who has who trained in this house, anyway?