8 year old Murray is a well-behaved Bichon Frise. He lives with a retired couple who adore him and give him a very cushy life, with the best dog food, veterinary care,
Murray is such a good dog however, that the humans in his home have a tendency to take him for granted. Don’t get me wrong; they feed him twice a day, let him out into the fenced yard often, and give him a chew stick every morning and an organic biscuit every night before bed. But Murray has been feeling a tad neglected of late. His humans are busy running errands, playing golf, spending time on the computer visiting with their friends and grandchildren. They don’t really pay much mind to Murray.
Being the polite dog that he is, Murray wouldn’t dream of barking or whining to get their attention, nor would he jump up on their legs or paw at them like other dogs might do. He did try some intense staring at them, but their eyes were on the computer screen and they didn’t even register that Murray was in the room.
One day, Murray made the mistake of running out the back door when it was opened for him, and catching a toenail on the door sill. He yelped from surprise and pain, and limped back to the house. Much to his relief – and pleasure – his humans were all worry and concern for him. They got down on the floor and invited him into their laps. They petted and clucked over his paw. They debated about taking him to the emergency veterinary clinic. They settled on a Zoom session with Murray’s vet, who assured them that
For the next week, Murray basked in the glow of constant attention. He was carried around, allowed to snuggle on the couch in the evening, and even sat on someone’s lap every time there was a Zoom meeting.
By the end of the week, Murray’s paw was feeling much better and he was walking without a limp.
And the fawning attention came to an abrupt end.
Murray thought about this for the good part of a day. An idea came into his head, or rather, he put two and two together. And Murray began to limp again.
This time, Murray was hastily taken to the vet who examined him thoroughly. Although he could find no physical reason for Murray to be favoring his leg, he recommended watching Murray and keeping him off his feet for awhile, and then introducing some short and slow walks.
This prescription was exactly what Murray had hoped for. During the coming weeks and months, Murray’s limp would gradually improve, then suddenly reappear, get better again, and then relapse. His owners, as Murray had anticipated, kept him close and pampered while his leg convalesced. Though Murray’s leg would continue to plague him on and off for the rest of his life, his humans never seemed to catch on that their dog could have won the canine equivalent of an Academy Award.
