Work Smarter, Not Harder…Or Something

Yesterday I went to day care & griped to some of the other doggies about that pain-in-the-flank Nestlé and how exhausting it was to always keep an eye on her & make sure she didn't try to swipe any of my wubbies or sit on my futon/cushion/cool pad or stick her snub nose in my food dish, and someone told me something smart: I should stop seeing her as an adversary and instead regard her as an ally in my efforts to get more stuff from Thelma & Louise.

('Cause that *is* the master plan. The Dogs' Master Plan, of course. You all knew this; don't look so surprised. We want More Stuff. More toys, more food, more time outside, more belly rubs, etc. etc. More good stuff.)

Anyway, those two have been such suckers for the new kid & she's been playing the cute card, which is MY card. Already people are telling Thelma & Louse how cute they think Nestlé is and how she has a teddy bear face. Well, she certainly *snores* like a bear--and drinks like a camel and pees like a racehorse. Louise even bought her a little bed, which Thelma wouldn't let me tear apart. She's very spoiled--already. And Thelma's even trying to teach her how to "shake." That's MY bit!

So yesterday I snapped at her only once, when I thought she was trying to join me in my spot behind the couch. But she was just going for my stuffed white cat...which I let her chew on. (That makes 3 wubbies she's slobbered on since she got here.) And she's lounged on my cool pad several times and has seen fit to drink out of my water bowl. But I let all of that go & last night we pooled our energy & resources and tried to wear the humans down during dinner by following them everywhere--into the kitchen, into the living room, back into the kitchen, even into the bathroom (Nestlé's relentless).

But the humans held fast & didn't give into our demands for shrimp with broccoli or scallion pancakes. We did get a nice long evening walk, tho, and Nestlé even slept on the new bed, so I guess I shouldn't be too sore about her getting it.

I don't know how long she's going to stay here, but I'm going to make it work to my advantage. And I suppose it wouldn't hurt me too much to be…gulp…nice to her.