Missy and Her Bone
Missy was a diminutive but mighty character whose personality betrayed her size. A sleek little Dachshund, she had a silky red coat, soft, dark eyes and strong but very short legs. You would imagine that in a household of larger dogs, she would find herself playing a submissive role in the social order. In fact, she had the most dominant personality of all the dogs. Though Spanky, Raisin and Alfie were built in increments of increasingly larger size, each steadfastly avoided any challenge to her self-proclaimed authority. Her favorite place from which to survey her domain was the arm of the plush couch.
She was mostly content to nap there from her elevated position, but one day she had been given a bone. Gnawing it vigorously and eventually to her satisfaction, she decided to bury it in the couch cushions. She had no problem with this plan, as her compact but robust shape allowed her to crumple the edge of the cushion towards her with her front paws, while at the same time scooting the bone into place with her nose.
Kneading the cushion back into it’s groove to hide the bone, she resumed her position of the arm of the couch. But she couldn’t relax. It was obvious where she had hidden the bone by her furtive, nervous glances towards the buried treasure. Her soft eyes took on an intense, glistening quality. Her floppy ears slapped against the sides of her face as she shot glances in all directions, alert for intruders. It wasn’t long before Eliot the cat sauntered into the room, slowly padding his way towards the couch. This elderly, toothless-but-dignified feline didn’t see or hear very well, but as he rounded the side of the couch, it was clear he had a destination in mind.
The tension in Missy’s body was unbearable. She was quivering with fury. Unable to contain herself, she exploded off the arm of the couch, growling ferociously at Eliot. He didn’t even notice as she skidded across the tile floor behind him, a look of shock and surprise washing over her face- her grandiosity completely deflated by a mere cat.
Back on the arm of the couch, humbly resting her head on her paws, she hoped no one else had noticed either.