But Can She Type?

Kandy is one smart cookie, just like her brother Liam.

I was sitting on the couch, tossing toys down the hallway for Kandy to retrieve (yes, I somehow manage to exercise the dog without exercising myself...), when I casually stumbled upon a little game/canine I.Q. test. I took two toys -- "the octopus" she'd brought from home and "the man" I'd purchased to keep at my place -- to my bedroom down the hallway and left them next to each other in the middle of the floor. I scattered a few more toys near them. Then I returned to the living room and gave instructions.

"Kandy, go get the octopus!" Thundering Labrador footfalls down the hallway. A few seconds later, Kandy came trotting back up the hallway with the octopus in her mouth. But that could have been coincidence, right? And it's her favorite toy anyway. Let's see if she does it again.

"Kandy, go get the man! Where's the man?"

She took the octopus back to my room. There was a far-off squeaking I recognized instantly.

The man.

My roommate looked at me. Are you KIDDING?

We couldn't resist doing it repeatedly. Octopus! Man! Man! Octopus! Man man man! This is better than TV!

I don't know how Kandy felt about it, but it kept us amused for a good twenty minutes. I threw in a "Kandy, go get half a gallon of Rocky Road at the market up the street," but no dice. I think it's just because she didn't have a pocket for the change.