I think that Pippin understands more about us humans then some might be inclined to think. For instance:
Pippin does not like being shot at with a toy gun. When my brother points the gun at him, he leaps up and barks, growling at it. But then, his tail’s wagging the whole time. He knows it won’t hurt him, but he seems to know what it’s supposed to do. How, I really don’t know!
He knows about arrows too. I have a little 9 inch tall bow that is black, and does not bend, the string is a wimpy bungee cord. It came with three little plastic arrows, colored bright red and yellow, the ends are suction cups, and it has little bity things on the other end that are supposed to be feathers, but are plastic and are only a quarter of an inch tall at the highest point. I’m not exactly sure where we got it, but it had been sitting in our garage forever, so I rescued it. I have this thing about bows, you see. One day I’ll get a real one, but for now, the cheap-o toy makes do. Because it has suction cups, and has very little force when it flys, my siblings and I started trying to shoot one another, standing still while the other ran around. Oh, the things people think of when they are bored! Pippin, always eager to play, found the running person very interesting. Being a sighthound, he ran after the sibling, barking and growling playfully. Needless to say, he got annoying, and he wouldn’t listen to orders of “quiet” for very long. I’m not sure he could help it. The running person turned on all his instincts. Anyhow, since he wouldn’t get out of the way- whisht! I shot him with the arrow. He was very surprised, but completely unhurt. He didn’t even pretend to be hurt, and that is something in itself! After that, it became a game. He would bark at us when he saw the string being pulled back with an arrow on it, pointing in his direction. He would run and hide when he could, but if not, he would run up straight to the lion’s mouth, as they say, and bite at the end of the arrow! He did this, because he knows that we won’t shoot him at that close a range! He barked, and growled, wagging his tail and having fun. He even stole my arrows when they hit the ground! He’d grab them up and run away! He likes playing with bows and arrows. See why Pippin and I have so much fun together? We even share the same interests! LOL!
He learned the same thing about rubber-bands. I was shooting my brother with them, because he thought I couldn’t (I did!), and Pippin quickly learned what a rubber-band could do when stretched out between two fingers. At first, he merely squinted his big eyes, with an expression so cute, I just started laughing, but I never shot when he was turned towards me, as I didn’t want to hit his little face. He charged rubber-bands too, barking and wagging his tail the whole time. When the rubber-band hit the floor, he dove for it, trying to get it before we did, but I always either got it first, or he dropped it. He played the game with us, just as good a sport as one of us!
He plays another game really well too. You know the game some people play with babies, where the big person pertends to “eat” the baby? I’ve done it to many a baby, because it never seems to fail to bring up giggles. I had no idea that my sisters were doing that to Pippin, until a few weeks ago. I watched, as my youngest sister held Pippin, and proceeded to “eat” him. “Um num num num! Mmm, you taste good! UUM num num num num num!” To my astonishment, Pippin lifted his lips and bared his teeth and began to bark and growl, but all in play! His tail was wagging, and later he was perfectly happy to cuddle with her, unlike he would if she had “hurt his feelings” or made him mad. He would sulk. But no! He liked it! It was as if he was saying “You can’t eat me! I’m a big tough dog, and I wouldn’t taste good anyway. Leave me alone!” but was play-acting it. I could only laugh. Then when I tried it, he turned his head and growling, began to “eat” me, gently putting his teeth on my cheek and pretending to chew!
The longer I have Pippin, the more I love him and realize how perfectly he fits our family, fits me. I thank God nearly everyday for the gift I have from him in PIppin. He is so good.
