Dogs And Cups

Wednesday afternoon. I finally finished a project I was working at for a while and it was snowing one more time outside. Bitter cold and I didn't feel like going out and dealing with that. So I proceeded to the kitchen for another cup of hot coffee.

While there I opened the freezer and pulled out some meat so it could thaw for dinner, I spied an almost empty gallon bucket of sherbert... OK, maybe not exactly what one should have for a late lunch but what the heck.

I happily grabbed a spoon, my coffee and the bucket and went to the sofa and enjoyed. It was good!

Well when I was done, the son's pup was sleeping with his head hidden from view and his nose shoved under a chair. He had been out with the son all morning freezing his puppy tail off.

So I put the bucket down on the floor for the old beagle to finish. She at first must of thought it was some kind of trick. She just laid there and looked.

So I pushed the bucket closer to her. Her eyes lit up and she happily jumped to her tired old paws and enjoyed. There was really not much of anything left in the bottom of that bucket but like I said she enjoyed. Her head disappeared and her tail wagged as fast as her tongue lapped.

All of the sudden her collar clicked against the side of the now clean bucket. Like a person who just woke up and realized they were late for work, the pup sprang to his paws and like a bullet was there at the bucket. He pushed his head in along side the beagle.

Well my old girl is no dummy. She knew there was nothing left worth working for. So she removed herself to the next room and laid down, to continue her near perpetual nap. But not the pup. For the next twenty or thirty minutes he lapped and chased that bucket all around the room and out to the sun porch.

What some creatures will go through just because something appears to be good just from a little superficial smell. Hmm, a little like some people will with people they become infatuated with...

This all brought me to thinking about ice cream... We live about four miles from an old store/ice cream stand that sells some of the best ice cream cones. Not the ice cream that's like frozen ice but the really creamy ice cream packed full of wonderful rich double flavor. Often we forgo the cones and have them put it in a cup and we bring it home and savor.

When we're done we usually let the dogs clean up the cups. If you try to toss them in the garbage, they will only get them when your back's turned anyway and spill the rest of the trash in their pursuit of happiness. It's all part of the doggie constitution, I think.

Now the small cups are usually not a problem. But see, my son and I have really good appetites and sometimes will get a really big cup and just have it instead of a meal. I know, not healthy, but we do it anyway. It's those big cups that you get large milkshakes in.

Well when you give a dog a really deep cup, it can be a blast to observe. They work at licking all they can reach with their tongue. Then comes the problem. There's that last itty bitty little bit of wonderful melted flavor way down in the bottom! They'll walk circles around that cup trying to figure a way to get it. You see the seriousness in their eyes...

As if watching a dog being all perplexed is not enough. They eventually give in to greed and just dive their noses in and force their way to the bottom. Then after they lick the last little moisture from the bottom of the cup they can't figure out how to get the cup off.

They'll try shaking the cup off. They'll turn in more circles, like that'll help... Then they'll lay down and grab the cup with both front paws and attempt to pull their poor little snouts out. But their paws just slip off the cup, still stuck.

Ahh, but then I have mercy... I'll pull the cup off their sweet little noses and scold them for being so greedy. But I doubt that they really care.

What kind of fun and smiles has your pet given you lately?

Why not share them in the comments so we all can share in a smile...