We stayed at home and watched her, just to see what she did. She was a model dog, came when called, ate her food, didn’t chase cows and went to bed without protest. The same the next day, and the next. Barbara said, “She’s settling down, at last.” And when this exemplary behavior continued for a week I said, “Well, life may be dull around here, but it’s worth living again.” “After what we’ve been through with that dog,” Barbara said, “I could do with weeks and weeks of this kind of dullness.” Penny was on her best behavior right through the second week, ebullient, lively, but starting no uproars. Maybe, I thought, she had finally got all that out of her system. Barbara and I both began to relax. Looking back later, we wondered why we were surprised that it didn’t last. Some dogs, like some people, simply can’t abide a quiet life. Life isn’t life for them unless things are happening. Maybe they have a heightened sense of drama and adventure. Maybe they actually need dragons at every turn in the road.
