The dog was created especially for children. He is the god of frolic.

When the kids aren’t home the dogs usually sleep in my room. Usually. Sometimes, especially if the kids are gone for more than a few days, they tend to glare at me and sleep in the kid’s rooms. As if I needed to be reminded that my babies weren’t there! And if you think that dogs don’t glare you’re dangerously mistaken. It would be safer to know the difference between the big dog being happy to see you and asking to play, and being upset with you and wondering how much damage she can inflict before – if – you get away. I digress.

Lexi left my room at 10:30-ish. No big deal, she was probably going to sleep in M.’s room. I went to sleep. What with it being close to eleven and all. Did she return? Oh yes, belovèd, she did indeed.

I was having an absolutely scrumptious dream involving underground tunnels, swords and a talking bear when a very large, filthy and soaking wet something landed on me and the bed. For a second or two I thought something had happened in the battle for the tunnel and the bear was dead, but no, I was awake and there was Lexi: filthy muddy, soaking wet, exhausted and lying stretched out on my bed. Looking extremely pleased with herself, too, I might add. I got up and turned on the light and followed the destruction out of the room, down the hall and into the dining room. Where the back door was open. Wide open. Free entry into the fenceless yard. Lord knows how long she’d been gone (it was 3:30 in the morning) but she certainly checked out the house for intruders when she got back. I could tell from the muddy paw prints everywhere. Yes, everywhere. Ok, not quite everywhere but the places she missed (television screen, coats in the front hall, etc) were clearly the places she took a break from the destruction to shake off all the mud and rain on her coat. So the effect was the same as muddy paws everywhere. I swear I’m going to train her in moping floors tonight. Or maybe I’ll just use her as a mop.

For those of you - which may be just one - interested the quote in the title is Henry Beecher.