Wouldn’t it be great to be a dog? Oh to have loving hands gently kneed the soreness from tired bones while stretched out beside the fireplace on a chilly evening. To have fresh water and food always provided for. Wouldn’t it be great?

She loves taking her human for a walk. She sings to him in her best canine voice as he laces up his shoes and buttons down his coat for their wintry stroll. It is the highlight of her doggie day; and she can hardly wait to rush out the door, sending cats scurrying for their lives in her wiggling wake. Careful inspection of the dish in which the cats are fed reveals, as might be expected, cat food. "Cat food tastes better than dog food," she seems to say, "why, because it’s theirs."

She turns and smiles at her bipedal friend as he futilely, and half-heartedly, scolds her for the millionth time not to chase the cats. From a doggie’s point of view, the situation is extraordinarily funny, and to boot it gets repeated every day. Ho, ho, ho..., life is good.

Feline eyes peer expectantly from under shelter, waiting for the big yellow beast with an attitude to leave so they can resume their breakfast. "A kitty can get an extreme case of indigestion going from yummy, yummy to run for your lives," their eyes seem to say.

"What did those poor cats ever do to you," her human grumbles with a frown? "Stay out of the cat dish..., come on let’s go."

She knows who’s the boss and it definitely isn’t her human; but knowing an anticipated stroll is soon to come, she regretfully complies toward his wishes. She jogs up beside him and licks his hand. He reaches down further down and gives her a loving pat. "That’s a good girl," he says.

Smiling, she skips ahead of her human, long blonde hair sparkling in the early morn. Her bushy tail wags with joy as she inspects every scent for whatever identifying clue that might linger from the previous night’s lewd wildlife behavior. Inquiring minds want to know such things and no smell should be left un-sniffed. No crevice should be left unexplored. No building and pen should escape careful examination to make sure everything is just so. She seems to be silently singing, "It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day in the neighborhood."

Wouldn’t it be great to be a dog he was thinking? How free from worries she seems to be. How unencumbered by the stresses of modern life her movements seem. How free her spirit to roam the great outdoors. What wonder rests behind those doggie eyes?

His musing came to an abrupt halt. His canine friend had found animal droppings fresh from the night before and she was deeply involved in sniffing its origins. Good detective work starts from the ground up so to speak. You get to meet all sorts in that line of work.