TheBanyanTree: Two Legged Dog

[Monique Colver]

We have a tradition of keeping towels by the back door for the dogs to wipe
their feet when they come in. So far they've learned to walk in and stand
still, but as for wiping their feet, they're still in the pre-learning
phase, the part where they just look at us as if to say, "What do you want?"
They're quite good at that look. Usually one or the other of us will let
them in and make sure their feet are reasonably clean. Occasionally, if it's
been pouring rain and they're really icky, we'll both do it so one of us can
towel off while the other grabs the feet. This morning we were both at the
door. I was in a hurry to get back to work (because I love my job, right?),
and so was Andrew.

Ash came in and I picked up each of his paws, one at a time, and rubbed them
clean. He then stepped on my foot, as he always does. Then Honey came in.
She's quite good at walking in and standing quite still when we tell her to.
She knows the routine. She stood there, calm and waiting patiently. I picked
up her right front paw and as I was wiping it off I noticed that Andrew had,
in his hand, her left back paw, which he was rubbing quite industriously.
Honey, standing on one back paw and one front paw, didn't move a muscle. She
just stood there on two legs and waited for the indignity to end. She puts
up with us quite well.