So Blue was acting snarky and trying to steal Blondie’s after walk treat. I separate them by making Blue go in my office and closing the door so Blondie can eat her treat in peace. About twenty minutes later, Blondie has finished her treat and I go down to the office to let Blue out and bring my parrot Abdul in for our afternoon time together. Blue gets up to leave the office and is limping on three legs, her back right leg held completely off the floor. I immediately forget how mad I was at her for trying to steal from Blondie and sit down and start petting her and telling her I love her and we’re going to go to the vet and get her all better. Meanwhile, in my head, I’m wondering how late it is and will I have to go to Pet Emergency or will my regular vet still be open and what could possibly have happened to Blue’s leg while she was in my office sleeping on her bed that would make her hitch it up like that. Ten minutes later I decide that sitting there hugging and petting her and feeling guilty isn’t going to cut it. I have to actually comb my hair and get her to the vet. So I stand up. And so does she. On all four legs. And then she walks. Without a limp evident or any pain or sensitivity noticeable on any leg. And I think to myself that maybe I’ve just been played by a master who was mad at being shut in the office and decided to get the extra love and pets she felt she deserved for being punished in that way and now that she’d made me feel guilty and gotten me to hug and pet her for ten minutes, ignoring all other pets around me, life was good again and she didn’t have to pretend to limp anymore.
Now some might call me paranoid for thinking my dog was doing this deliberately to play me. Those would be people who don’t own dogs.