The Grandbeagle and the BIA

She looks innocent, doesn't she? You might even think she was cute, but beware! She is the driving force behind the BIA (Beagle Intelligence Agency). This is Molly, my Grandbeagle. She is a killing machine. No rodent within 100 miles has a chance. When she patrolled our compound, no mole, rat, mouse nor salmon (yeah- that was a weird one) dare step foot (or fin) within the boundaries. She sought them out, dug them up and SLAM! made short work of them. Notice the wide front paws, large eyes and sensitive nose. All part of her arsenal. But the intellect is the most amazing part of her. Can dogs lie (as in "Liar, liar, pants on fire)? I report, you decide:

You have met Eddy, our sweet, kind, tolerant Lab. Every evening we handed out a rawhide chew stick to keep it somewhat calm after dinner. Eddy would lay down and chew happily. Every evening, Molly refused my offering. Not interested. Then, one evening, she ran to the back door and began barking hysterically as if there was something REALLY BIG out there. Trained well, I opened the door for her to run outside. At this point, Eddy was engaged, thinking it needed his immediate attention. When I opened the door, Molly began to run out, but once Eddy was out, she made a u-turn and grabbed his chew stick. He was out and she had stolen the prize. Mission accomplished.
Quick on the up-take, it only took me a few weeks to put 2 and 2 together. The next time she did the wild barking to get him out of the way, I would not open the door. She loves a new puzzle to solve. How nice of Grandma to provide it, huh?
Pondering only briefly, she started running around the family room, bouncing off of the furniture until Eddy just HAD to join in the game. The second he abandoned his chew stick, she scooped the fumble. Game over.
Now we could call her a thief and a liar, not the best of human characteristics. But we like to think of her as the brains behind the BIA. When you are in the secret service profession, there is a different way of looking at these things. Survival, strategic design, mental gymnastics. And anyway, Eddy always gets a replacement...GAME ON!