A Princess Needs A Throne

Bunny is generally the sweetest little hound there is. She is happy to greet us at the back door and lives to snuggle with us and be petted. There is a scenario that is replaying itself with greater and greater frequency however.

Bunny seems to feel that the couch belongs to her and me exclusively. However, when we are gone, Blueberry claims the couch as her own and there's nothing that Bunny can do about it. When I get home, I have my spot on the couch and often Blueberry takes the other end of the couch. While we are gone, Bunny won't push her luck, but when I am home, she jumps up in the middle, curling up against me and usually wrapping her neck around my leg in some fashion. Blueberry tolerates this arrangement when we are here, but I suspect that she tells Bunny in no uncertain terms that it's not happening when we are gone.

The new routine is that I am home with the dogs in the afternoon. Hawk is stretched out on the orthopedic dog bed, resting his weary bones. Lilac is curled up comfortably in her little nest. Blueberry is taking up as much space as she possibly can at the other end of the couch while I type on the computer at the other end. Bunny is curled up in a tiny knot between us, holding on to my leg and occasionally demanding that I stroke her head. This is all good until my husband comes home.


The dogs all leap up and run to the back door to greet him. This never fails. My husband is the Pied Piper of Dogdom and I've never seen a dog anywhere who could resist him. After a few minutes, the fanfare is over and the dogs begin to return to their respective spaces. My husband walks into the living room and sits on the other end of the couch, and that's when the fun starts.

Often, we begin to have dinner at this time, and he is sitting there, leaning forward to eat his food from the coffee table. Blueberry finds a bed and lays down to sleep on the floor with Hawk and Lilac. Bunny stands in front of my husband indignantly. My husband pretends not to notice. Bunny huffs while we begin to talk about our day. He'll sit up slightly and Bunny takes this opportunity to stand in front of him, letting it be known that she's trying to get by him to the couch.

Husband: Oh, Bunny, there you are! Did you want something?

Bunny: I've spent over a year training you and you can't figure it out?

Husband: Need a little scratch?

Bunny: (meaningful stare)

Husband: Oh! Did you want up?

At this point, he pushes the table away a little bit. Bunny then leaps up over him to the empty space between us on the couch. She turns once and then sits, leaning her back against the cushion and looks at him. Husband leans forward to get something from the table and Bunny slips in behind him, giving a sigh and kicking him in the back. My husband laughs and then stands up and moves to the chair. Bunny lays down contentedly, finally relaxed with the knowledge that she has kicked everyone off the couch. She rests her head against the armrest and watches everyone else for a little while, before dozing off for her evening nap.

Tonight, she scored quite a coup. She got to her spot in the middle and Blueberry got up and left. Bunny thinks that she kicked Blueberry off the couch, but I don't have the heart to tell her that Blue was really just going to get a drink of water. I'm not sure who will win the battle. We'll have to stay tuned for the next episode of Days of Our Couch.