Australian Shepherds love to be the life of the party. They are all about having fun. And when they are not feeling entertained, they let you know.

Like today, when I came home from taking the kids to school and Cleo greeted me at the door with a few of my things — my leopard print slippers that I really like, and a strainer, swiped from the kitchen counter. She didn’t chew up my slippers, but she let me know that she could have. Instead, she chewed up the wire mesh strainer and its plastic rim.

Good choice, Cleo.  Otherwise, I would have been really mad at you!

So I took her for a walk, like I had promised before I drove away for fifteen minutes, leaving her alone with her thoughts, which must have turned to chewing  up things very quickly.

You can always tell who she is mad at by what she devours.  Usually, on Monday, when the kids leave her, she goes into each one’s room and finds something to bring to the door– a stuffed animal or little toy–one for each kid. Then she chews the eyes off, leaving them blind and most miserable for little girls to find when they get home and demand their mother gets out a needle and thread and buttons to sew on replacement eyes. She never eats the whole stuffed animal so it’s usually something I can fix.

Cleo is clever that way.

Anyway, here she is sitting innocently in my office, waiting by the door for her little kids to come home. Soon when she is rested, she will come and look in my garbage can for Halloween candy wrappers to munch on. She will make her fun however she can.