George on the left and Fred on the right.
The other day, it was raining, which is no surprise because we are in the rainy season after all. My son dashed out to feed the horses and left the back door open a crack. He was gone maybe five minutes and came back to find the door wide open and muddy paw prints all over the place.
He hollered for the dogs. Fred came dashing out from the garage so fast he slid on the tile like a cartoon. George came tumbling down the stairs with the cat’s food dish in his mouth. The fact that it was George who went upstairs puzzled us because Fred is the sniffer. He’s able to smell food like nobody’s business. George, as the head dog, then appropriates Fred’s find. But in this case, it was George who immediately headed upstairs.
After the dogs were outside and Fuzz’s food dish reclaimed, we followed the tracks to try and figure out the series of events that led to the Great Heist. It seemed Fred was sent as a lookout to the front door, while George went upstairs and found Fuzz stretched out on the bed. He must have taken a sniff or two of this recumbent feline, who paid him no mind. The muddy paw print on the blanket was left in evidence.
Then George grabbed the food dish and hurried back downstairs when my son called. So how did George know there was food upstairs? Was it a crime of opportunity, or had deliberate planning gone into it?
We’ve come to believe that George has been plotting this escapade for a few weeks now. You see, when Fuzz, his royal highness, isn’t happy with his food selection for the day, I drop the leftovers from the back porch to the dogs. I’ve seen George puzzling out how I come to be up on the porch and how to get there himself. With the opened door, George seized the opportunity and took it upon himself to get today’s leftovers (although Fuzz hadn’t properly finished with them yet).
We’ll have to be more cognizant of open doors now. Once a successful heist has occurred, from now until infinity, the two scoundrels will be casing the joint, looking to take another run at it. Meanwhile, Fuzz will lay there and observe it all.
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Surviving Mexico 