Monday, May 17, 2010

Laney Talks Back

I've said before that I believe Laney understands English, and I know most people think I'm an idiot. Normally, those people would be correct--but I am right about this. Our recent trip to Double Dip Frozen Custard reinforces this belief.

Double Dip is a neighborhood frozen custard stand. For the uninitiated, frozen custard is ice cream's prettier, smarter, more popular sister. If ice cream is Jan, then frozen custard is Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.

It's right down the street, and they have a drive thru, so Laney came along for the ride. Girlfriend's main thrill in life is a car ride, so we take her any place we can. She trotted out the front door and waited patiently by the rear passenger door for me to let her in the back seat, where she sat contently for the entire ride.

We arrive at the drive thru window and place our orders. While we wait, I glance at Laney in the back seat and see that she is now sitting up straight (her begging posture) and is giving the drive thru window her full attention. "Do you think she remembers coming here before?" I asked Steve. She tagged along about nine months earlier for a visit to Double Dip, where the owner offered Laney a teeny tiny cone with vanilla custard. Laney absolutely loved it. Just then, Laney's eyes light up, and her laser stare at the window intensifies, her tail thumps excitedly. I turn my head to see the owner standing in the window. He asks Steve, "Would she like a poochie cone?" Before Steve can utter a word, Laney immediately replies "Ah-roo-er" (it's part bark, part growl, part yodel) as if to say "Yes sir!" I had never heard the term "poochie cone" before, but Laney was picking up what he was putting out and gave an affirmative response before Steve or I could. I said, "I'll take that as a yes," and watched as Laney ate that poochie cone without leaving any crumbs in the car seat. She's a real pro. That was seriously the highlight of Laney's entire month.

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