I Knew I Loved Her When...

I was fond of Sophie when we first got her.  I was delighted with her when I witnessed her unabashed curiosity.  I adored her when she displayed all the spunk and joy an puppy should possess.  Today, however I can say with utter finality that I love this dog.  I spent the past couple of days baking & cooking in anticipation of a dinner party that was an absolute balm to my soul.  Recovering from the effort occupied the better part of my day and I was just relishing the relaxation of having completed tasks... still though, I had a bit of a lingering need to cook, and so invited a few folks over for a simple meal.  I observed throughout the past few days, that Sophie would roam the kitchen floor, seeking fallen morsels.  Not sure what her teensy puppy belly can tolerate, I would inspect her findings if she lingered too long in any one spot.  This afternoon, she was not only lingering, but seemed to be kind of playing which prompted me to dutifully examine the situation.  Turns out, my Duchess Sophie Diamond Darling had found a huge black spider and chosen to execute it, doggy-style.  She caught it in her mouth and I imagine the wiggling tickled, or something, because she flipped it up in the air and worried over it as it landed.  The poor brute had no chance; ferocious Sophie repeated her ritual until the spider was robbed of its despicable life.  I congratulated her heartily, while Tawny admonished her - I'm not real sure what message Sophers took away from the event.  All I know is that I got a spider-killer in my camp.  Yessir.