The Gatekeeper

They have a love-tolerate relationship. Annie adores Rusty as shown by sniffing him from end to end when he returns from our walks outside. Rusty tolerates Annie as demonstrated by his snarly lips in her direction when she gets face to face closer than the three inch personal boundary he's taught her; well, trying to teach her.

Now you have background on how Rusty is always trying to keep Annie "in her place". I mean, after all, she only adopted us two years ago and Rusty has been the keeper of Barbara for thirteen of his fourteen years.  Recently, he was befuddled, being the docile working therapy pooch he is, as to how to climb his stairs to our family bed with Annie having the audacity to sit like an Egyptian princess cat on his top step.

Let's be honest, he's the little short dude, so the stairs were a gift to him when he aged out of being able to jump up on the bed.  There are only four steps.  But herein lies the quandry: What should Rusty do about Annie on that top step when he desperately wants to get back up them and on to the bed?

Effort #1:  Stop on the third step and stare at her.  Yeah, that doesn't work my little man.  She's a cat, the queen of staring back.  Nope, she didn't move.  I watch this effort thinking, "Little dude, you can still go sideways and reach the bed from that third step!"  But, nope.  He stares. And finally, woefully, climbs back down. (Whereupon I lift him up from the other cat-less side of the bed :)

Effort #2: He  runs up extra fast as only a fourteen year old senior pooch can do! The hope is he'll

startle her and she'll suddenly jump off.  After all, she jumps all over the rest of the room, right! Wrong.  Poor fella, this effort causes Annie to think he wants to play so she bats a paw in his direction and back down he goes.  It's out of his reach once again! The step reuniting him to Barbara's pets and cuddles! The step leading to his milk bone under the pillow! And I watch this time and say aloud, "Guy! You gotta teach her who's boss! Give her that snarly lip! Or try that sideways on the third step trick!"  Annnnddddd.....down he goes.  Sigh.

Effort #3:  Shhhhh....Annie's sleeping on the top step. He sees his chance! I watch excitedly thinking, "Go for it, little buddy!"  He looks at me! He looks up at Annie!  He's up....up...up.....and she suddenly opens an eye, turns on her back and pats his direction with both paws.  How rude!   

But wait!  He turns! Yes! This is it!  The moment!  Since I'd pre-placed his milk bone in plain sight instead of under the usual pillow he spots it and, so great is the mouth watering anticipation of said bone he deftly twists to his left off the third step and grabs it!  Yes! "I told ya all along you could use the third step, Rusty"

Annie? She went back to her nap, as cats do.