Twice-given Bone

Sonia Dog likes to play a little game with Mommy.

As soon as Mommy presents Doggie with her daily rawhide retriever bone, Sonia makes a great show of hiding it, then approaches Mommy and whines piteously.  Mommy responds by searching out the usual  places--between the couch cushions, under a pillow or the bathroom rug, behind the waste basket-- finds the bone, holds it aloft and and exclaims dramatically  "Look what I found!"

A grateful Sonia trots forward and retrieves her retriever bone, then settles down in the center of the den to chew it to shreds.  Such is life in La Casa Fiorella.

Rawhide Addict

Every morning after breakfast, Sonya leads Fio to the kitchen and points at the pantry, whence she knows all good things come.  But Sonya doesn't want more kibble--she wants a rawhide bone that she will tear to shreds by the end of the day.  The bones are fairly expensive, but Fiorella shells out gladly because Sonya's other options have been metal screwdrivers, wireless landline phones, the television changer, Fio's shoes, and her eyeglasses (two pairs so far).

Just give Sonya another year, say the experts, and she'll be through teething.

Real Dog

We've had beagles, a shepherd's collie, a black ragmop. a ridgeback, and a weimer, but never before have we had a dog that would bury a bone. I wondered what was happening a couple of days ago when I caught thirteen-week-old Sonya digging a shallow hole in the dirt and laying a stick in it. But Husband caught her yesterday digging a deeper hole, dropping a bone in it, and covering it with leaves. Good grief--we've got a real dog!

On the other hand, what else should we expect from a mastiff, one of the oldest of canine breeds? Her racial memory must go back centuries.