It's Just So WRONG

So, we have this dog named Scout.

Scout is super focused. And he has an enormous desire to please. He's a good runner and a pretty good watch dog, although we suspect this is really because he is scared to death of everything. He's high strung and jumpy --the other day, a leaf fell from one of the trees in the backyard and landed on his back.

He jumped about five feet sideways and UP.

Because that leaf?

Oh. So. Scary.

He's pretty cute. And eager. And enthusiastic. And loud. And clumsy. And happyhappyhappy.

What Scout is NOT, however, is SMART.

This is something of a limitation in our household. It's pretty annoying to walk out the front door and hear him start barking at you while you're locking it because you've been out of the house ten seconds and he's already forgotten that it's you. Plus, he's ALWAYS under foot and then he gets so incredibly insulted if you accidentally step on him. He's unbelievably vocal in his enthusiasm for anyone coming down the stairs--which upsets those people who might be, um, SLEEPING --but if you come down in the pitch dark to get water, that is very. Very. Scary.

We humans tend not to tease Scout overly much because of the Nervous Bladder issue. But the other animals in our house?

Dudes, it is Open Season.

Take, for example, Scout's bed.
It's an oversized comforter that I once paid a gazillion dollars for only to find that it's so big and heavy, I can't wash it in even the most oversized washer. After we'd grabbed it and used it a few times to cover one of the cars during hail storms, I bowed to the inevitable. When we moved, I threw it in a corner and it became Scout's bed.

Oh, my, how he loves his bed. It's his "safe place" when things (like falling leaves) get really scary. When he's in trouble or really tired from a long run with my husband, the dog races to his bed and plops down on it. Once, my husband (beloved by Scout above all other mortals) laid down with Scout on the bed. You've never seen a dog get more anxious and stressed out.

It was, frankly, pretty hilarious.

Apparently, we weren't the only ones who noticed.

Edward, who is the most mischievous cat who has ever owned me, has begun this elaborate Scout Tease. We keep telling him that it's SO not cool to pick on the slow kid but he just cannot resist. Every time Coop walks by and sees him curled up on Scout's bed, he laughs. And then he says, "That's just so wrong."

Recently, Edward has begun to make his move when Scout is still ON his bed.

Scout is so completely kerflummoxed that the other pets just had to get into the act.

Here is Scout, curled up at Coop's feet, basking in just being near the Keeper of the Tennis Balls.

"Hey, wait a minute! Who's that invading my space here?"

"Oh, it's Thomas (thebigfatcat). Thomas, the Shameless Snuggler. Thomas the big SUCK-UP."

"Okay, okay, maybe I can at least find a nice towel to lay on."
"Et tu, Sydney?"