Tito (who is Luci’s fan numero uno), would have my hide for saying this. But, since he is away honeymooning, it’s safe for me to say this out loud. Luci is one crazy dog. You want to have proof? Just yesterday morning, she pinned me to the sink and started barking in my ear. That in itself is a crazy act. I mean why would a dog do that to her Momma?

There I was, a peace loving woman, minding her own business, thoroughly engrossed in washing the veggies prior to cutting them, with only feelings of love for all of humanity (and animals) in her heart and thoughts of what to make for lunch in her mind, when all of a sudden Miss Crazy goes into her crazy act. Standing behind me with her paws resting on my shoulder, she leaned her full grown Labradorean weight on poor old me and had me pinned to the kitchen counter. As if that was not enough, she did the unpardonable of barking shrilly into my sensitive ears at such close quarters that it is a wonder that my eardrums still function. Adding injury to this insult, she started pawing my back urgently.

LUCIIIIIIII, I screamed at her, GET OFF ME, NOW!

Her voice being louder than mine, she could naturally not hear me at first, in spite of my best efforts …or maybe she was just pretending to be deaf. She kept up her barking disregarding my yells, but I deftly managed to unpin myself from her hold.

You see, Luci had seen a lizard on the opposite wall and being a Lizard Hater Dog was beside herself. Hmmm… Sometimes I do wonder if it is dislike that spurs her on to bark or something else because in between she whines and whimpers. It sounds like a request: “Hey Lizard, please, please, PLEASE, PLEASE come down. PUH-LEEEEAAAAAASE!” It is as if she is almost begging the lizard to come down and play with her. But the ferocity of the barks that takes over leaves no room for doubt as to what she has in mind once she has lured the lizard with false promises of playtime: murder the damn thing and dance on its dead remains. Some dumbo lizards have fallen into her trap and ended up going off on that journey to meet their Maker rather faster than they would have thought they had to take.

My yells and her barks combined got my Knight minus Shining Armour aka the L & M come rushing out of his den, probably thinking his dear wife was getting murdered. Relieved that the dog hadn’t made a meal of me, he chased the lizard off and Luci soon calmed down. It is my suspicion that this particular lizard has started enjoying harassing Luci by calmly sitting on the wall, looking slyly at her and singing, “Catch me if you can!” May be that is what made Luci so mad yesterday. Anyways I don’t know who I am fed up with more, Luci or the lizard.  But then I have my ways of getting back at her too, Luci I mean. And I am glad I can fearlessly make the confession here while Tito is away.

It is easy actually. First I tell her there is a cat outside the gate. She runs to the gate and looks out. Then I tell her the cat is sitting on the wall. She runs to the wall, jumps up to see if it is there and finding the wall devoid of cats comes rushing back to the gate. By now she is totally into her cat-chasing mood that she decides to run around the house for good measure and on my part I am doubled up with laughter and thoroughly enjoying myself.

By the way, what when Luci actually encounters a cat or rather a pretty little kitten? Watch for yourself how this little Jhansi ki Rani handles herself around Luci.