The Dynamic Duo

Robben & Lily. Oh my goodness! These two, you would not believe their antics. They have become best buds, and I think they might both be having crises of identity. Lily thinks it perfectly acceptable to dig through Robben's toys to find something she deems chew-worthy. And likewise, Robben can often be found with one of Lily's toys, or dare I admit - a bone, in his mouth. Robben enjoys waving a blanket in Lily's face, taunting her into a game of tug-o-war, one of her favorites. And when Mommy says no, Lily is the first to loose her grip. She turns her little doggie face away in a respectable attempt at self-control, while Robben continues to tease her. When they're not playing with each other's toys or playing tug-o-war, these two little geniuses devise a wicked plan to ruin things that don't belong to them. Yesterday, Robben opened the game cabinet and pulled out the Uno cards. He then proceeded to dump them out onto the floor, where Lily then came and selected a few to make off with and chew to smitherines. Oh well, at least that commotion distracted Robben from eating the box! And whenever the baby and the dog are outside, you can bet one or both of them will be carrying a stick... and yes, they both have been allowed to bring their sticks in to chew up.

Whenever I eat, you can count on four eyes on me, in bold-faced begging fashion. Luckily, Lily only sits looking as cute as can be, sometimes on her hind legs, hoping I'll toss her a bone (so to speak). Robben, on the other hand, is a bit more assertive about his desires. Today he tried in vain to climb into my lap. When that didn't work, he settled for putting our house phone into my water - charger side down. Not to worry, it still works. He did manage to get a good portion of my sandwich (after his own lunch, mind you). Then he brought me a little carton of goldfish crackers that he found in somebody's Easter Basket. I gave him about four at a time. He'd stick 3 in his mouth and tease Lily with the 4th one. A couple of times he gave it to her, but I did catch him once allowing her to lick it, but then keeping it for himself... and yes, eating it. This isn't the worst of it. Sometimes Robben invites Lily to lick the roof of his mouth while he giggles uncontrollably.

During Robben's morning nap today, Lily snoozed in her doggie bed... head thrown back, mouth open and snoring! And speaking of that doggie bed, Robben was found sitting in it, playing with my car keys this evening. That doesn't sound like much, but this bed is inside a dog crate/kennel thing :) So Robben had crawled into the crate and found his way to Lily's favorite spot. I guess he wanted to see what all the hype was about.

Lily's food and water are also kept in the crate, keeping it safe from plundering kitties - namely Rascal, who is on a diet... Julius and Peep, the canaries, are a bit nervous, too. Robben enjoys splashing his hands in Lily's water. I tell him no, which he usually respects, but the other day he got clever. He walked around to the side of the crate (rather than using the front door) and stuck his hands through the bars and splashed to his little heart's content. He didn't even stop when he saw me watching. Almost as if he figured I just didn't want him splashing the water from the door, but going through the bars would be just fine.

Hopefully soon I can get a good picture of these two in action. At this point in the game, they seem to view each other as equals (unlike the cats, who are clearly and obviously above such nonsense). I'm glad they have both found such a friend. Aaaahhhh, my boy and his dog :) :) :)