I have to hand it to him…

Parker is a pretty smart dog. He may not be able to contain his excitement when greeting guests (or any stranger who comes within six feet for that matter) or silence his bark when we assure him that the 80 year old man crossing the street in front of our house is harmless, but he uses that dog brain of his when it’s really important.

We’ve tried to keep Parker’s toys separated from Analiese’s as much as possible. In fact, somehow Parker seems to know the difference and steers clear of toys that don’t belong to him. But it’s impossible for him to resist the urge to shake, mangle and de-stuff every single one of his toys. And so far, every single one of Analiese’s stuffed toys has remained in tact and dog-slobber free.

Parker has also sensed that we don’t like his toys to be in reach of our ever-curious, almost seven month old. He’s a very playful dog who loves to play fetch, especially if he finds us on the floor–his playing field. So, what does he do when we place Analiese on the floor to play with her toys? He strategically places his as close to Analiese as possible and then waits for us to throw them away from her. Smarty pants.

P.s. Yes, that is the same frog I vowed to get rid of. It’s still around.