40 Saber Tails Winter 2016

Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen Club of America

“Tails” from the

CLOWN HOUND FILES 

“Here Kitty...Kitty...Kitty”

Story Submitted by Marilyn Blythe

Starring “Trinity”  (3 1/2 years old)

T

rinity came to live with me two years ago.  At that time, she was almost three years old and had lived with a pack of 

PBGVs.  She had never seen a cat.  I had two cats who had no fear of dogs whatsoever.  When Tiffany Cannon and Julie 

Shannon entrusted Trinity to me, their only concern was that Trinity would try to hurt White Sox or Abraham Lincoln.  

Abe Linc took care of that immediately when he swatted her across the face and taught her a lesson about how sharp 

toenails can be.  After that, Trinity steered clear of him for six months or so.  However, she did discover the upside to liv-

ing with kitties…they have free access to kitty food any time of the day they want.  I was unfamiliar with the incredible 

problem-solving skills possessed by PBGVs and was soon to find out that I had presented Trinity with the most fun game 

of all – locate and secure (otherwise known as consume) the cat food.   

T

rinity has proven very adept and agile in her pursuits of reaching the food.  I really wish I could catch her in the act 

as I’m sure some serious ninja moves are employed to propel her onto some of the high locations it’s been placed.  

She has managed to climb up on the dining room table, even with the chairs pulled away, and the kitchen counter.  

Recently, I put the food in a dish on the window ledge, moved the dining room table and pulled all the chairs into the 

middle of the room while I went to get ready for work.  A little later, I heard barking coming from the dining room.  It 

was Trinity’s demanding bark…the one she uses when she wants me to feed her or stop paying attention to one of the 

other dogs in the house.  It has an impatient and scolding tone, as if she’s saying…”where are 

you going???…I did not give you permission to go out without me.”  This bark was saying…

”Woman…get in here and get me down.”  No shame…no guilt…just an irritated “WOOF!”  

Somehow, Trinity had climbed up on the window ledge and she had gotten herself stuck.  

(Of course, she did manage to eat the cat food.)  The window ledge is really quite narrow, 

and fairly high off the ground.  I have no idea how she 

got up there without falling repeatedly enough to deter 

her from trying again.  And I didn’t find any claw marks 

in the sheetrock where she tried to get traction with her 

back feet.  How ever it was that she had gotten up…it was 

not going to work in reverse.  She must have calculated 

her angle of dismount and determined it would not end 

with her landing on her feet. It would involve her land-

ing unceremoniously on her head or side or back and that 

couldn’t happen in front of her doggie brothers and the cats.

I 

did help her down eventually…but not before I took some photos to shame her 

publicly on social media in an attempt to embarrass her.  I don’t think it worked 

though…she is back to her shenanigans trying to see to it that all cat food ends up in 

her belly.  But I do have photographic evidence that one day, she had to call for help.