The "Sockie"

The house was still asleep at 4am.

I brush my teeth, put the dogs out, bring them back in and distribute morning snackies. 

I wander into the office to poke around the Internet for a while wanting to gently "wake up" before we head out for our daily walk.

The house is dark, the only light is the glow from the computer monitor, the only sound, the hum of the "white noise" from the sleep machine SM and I have used for years.

I'm reading one of your blogs when all hell breaks loose.

Dog fight at 4:20am

The main room was pitch black but I ran into it yelling.  I couldn't see a thing.  The growls told me that it was Scooter and Casey going at it.  I get closer to insert myself somehow into the fray when suddenly everything stops.

Uh Oh...Big Daddys up.  Everyone can hear the pounding footsteps.

SM comes hustling down the hallway ready to distribute a different kind of wrath.  Pulled from sleep, the look on his face as I manage to turn on the light is one no dog or human wants to see.

"What happened."  SM barks.

I look down between Casey and Scooter and see the culprit.  I pick it up and toss it to SM.  "It's your freakin sock."

"Who started it?"  SM asks.  

"I assume Scooter.  You know how he is."  I reply.  It's a well know fact that Scooter guards his "sockies" with his life.  Don't look at it.  Don't even come close to it.

SM turns with the sock and walks back to bed where even now I assume he's trying to catch a few more winks.

Me?  I sat down on the floor to inspect the combatants.  Ginny comes up with me to help moderate events.  Dispensing licks, she starts sniffing at Scooters nose.  Sure enough, Scooters got a nip on his nose.  Whenever Scooter does something wrong he just sits there, frozen, he won't engage you at all.  He's fine.  So I move over to Casey.

By now Casey has wodged herself onto the chair trying to bury her head into the blanket, nervously "grinning" at me and tapping her tail.  I already know she's fine.  I give her a pat but notice none of the dogs except Ginny will look at me full in the face.  It's sideways glance time.  Have you ever noticed that with your dogs?  When tensions are high, no one looks at each other straight on.  I think I read somewhere that looking at your opponent straight on is a sign of aggression in the animal world.

So I get up to make SM's coffee.  Everyone goes their separate ways for a few minutes.  After a bit I notice Scooter sitting in his favorite spot.  I sit beside him and speak gently to him. Ginny comes over and soon Casey does too.  Pats and scratches and licks all around and soon tails are wagging once again.

All is right with the world once more....

Who needs caffeine to wake up?