Kimi and I looked up about the same time when we heard that old familiar clunk of the gate telling us the kitty was home. He is too fat...uh..metabolically challenged..... to fit under the gate so he struggled to jump over it. I smiled as I watched Kimi's expression go from one of utter boredom to sheer pleasure as a huge grin wrapped itself around her. Kimi jumped to her feet and ran to greet her friend. As she reached his face, her tail dropped and began wagging furiously, her ears laid back in a friendly gesture, and she proceeded to kiss him all over his face. Somehow I doubt he enjoyed it as much as I did! Garfield picked up one big grey paw and tapped Kimi on top of her head as if to say.."Okay, okay....you're glad I am home, now get lost!"

That was all the invitation Kimi neded to play. She stood up straight and tall...well as tall as she can anyway. Kimi looked him right in the eyes and said "YIP!" (ie: "TAG!.... you're IT!") Garfield took up the challenge by whapping her on the head again and then ran off. Kimi shouted "YIP(hey)!" and took off in hot pursuit. Garfield ran out into the back yard and around the flower bed by the gate. Kimi followed, but as they had played this game before, she knew where he was headed and cut through the flower bed to cut him off.

Ducking under the Chinese lanterns growing in one corner, she lay in wait for the cat to pass. Up she jumps, bursting forth with a sharp "YIP!" (BONZAI!!) and jumped across his back. I am certain she intended to land ON his back, but either the cat was to fast or Kimi misjudged. Knowing Kimi, it HAD to be that the cat was to fast! She rolled over and leaped to her feet looking around for her friend with a look that clearly said."I meant to do that!" Now...maybe mommies aren't suppose to laugh at their little ones mishaps, but Kimi makes it impossible NOT to by the looks that cross her face.

Garfield shot out from behind the bird feeder post where he was hiding, swiped at Kimi on his way past and kept running. That little pink tongue dropped from Kimi's mouth in a wide grin and off she went again, little short legs pumping madly trying to keep up. She had her neck stretched out like a prize race horse approaching the finish line, only Kimi was reaching for a kitty tail! The cat made the mistake of slowing just enough and WHAM! Kimi had the kitty by the tail...which seems to be her favorite place to grab him! Following one mistake with another, the cat came to a complete sudden stop, but Kimi didn't. At least not right away. I have never seen a rear-end accident quite like this one! The cat stopped... then suddenly shot forward with a look of shock on his face, while Kimi kept going...until her nose was buried in fur! The cat's "tail-end" was raised into the air, Kimi's face was lost under all that tail and HER rear end ended up pointing...uh..north? Laughter burst from me and both Kimi and the cat looked at me for a split second like I was the one who had lost my mind. Garfield whirled around, swiped at Kimi again and that was all it took.

MAD PUPPY RUN!!!! I know you have all seen this with your puppies before. This is where Kimi tucks her little behind under her, lays her ears back flat to her head, sports this huge silly grin and runs as fast and as low to the ground as she can. Everywhere....and no where in particular. Garfield knows by now to just lay down and wait until she is finished. We haven't quite figured out who she is trying to race but we are still assuming with her racing skills it must be Mario Andretti. Across the yard she streaked, around the power pole, narrowly missing the kids table leg by the way! Kimi always looks like an accident trying to happen when she runs this way but rarely runs into anything. Through the back yard she ran, up and over the down spout, around the tree in the back yard and back past the cat, as fast as she could. The cat reached out for her on her way past but Kimi's little legs were to fast for his slow reaction. Up to the gate, pulling a smooth 180 degree turn Kimi kept going. Past Garfield again, yipping on her way by she taunted him for his laziness. Squeezing her body between the step and my legs, Kimi zipped by me running toward the water bucket. She looked back once to see if the cat was chasing her yet and forgot about the bucket. "OH NO KIMI LOOK OUT!!!!!!!!" I shouted, but to late.......Kimi had misjudged distance again. She jumped, trying to avoid sure disaster but all she managed to do was get her body up to the right height.....at the right time....and KERSPLASH!!!!!!!! In she went, feet first! Kimi grabbed onto the ledge with her back feet much like a cat trying to avoid a dunking and succeeded in getting only her front feet and face wet. I almost rolled with laughter at the soggy look on her face when she turned around.

Kimi had evidently decided this was all the cats fault and off she went after him. Garfield jumped to his feet and with all the grace of a cat, hunched his back and arched his tail, laying his ears back as he side-stepped toward her on his toes.... Well this action certainly got Kimi's full attention and she slid to a stop in the grass. I don't think she has ever seen anyone move quite like this before. But she definitely liked the way it looked. I have never actually seen a dog do this walk before. Until now.

Curiosity over took her little mind and she nosed up to the cat. Garfield arched his back a little higher and raised up on his toes a little more. Kimi grinned and tried to arch her back. Her grin grew wider as she raised up on her toes....all the way up to her tippy toes! Looking back and picturing her trying to do this, I am laughing even now. The cat sidled past Kimi, high on his toes still. Kimi grinned, yipped and did the same right up to the cat! I have to admit I have never before watched a dog walk in cat fashion, but with Kimi we know anything is possible. Garfield looked totally disbelieving and Kimi looked totally thrilled. She threw her head back shouted "YIP!" once again and grinned so wide I feared the corners of her mouth would touch behind her head. Garfield slowly reachd a paw out to touch her face....was he checking to see if she had a fever?? Kimi, little imp that she is nipped it and off they went through the yard again.

Kimi ran back and forth, up and down the fence line, with Garfield keeping up with her. I now Shelties are Herding dogs, but I had never thought about my cat having the same herding instincts.Yet it was clear who was herding who here! As Kimi would turn and run the other way, the cat would follow her. Instead of a cow-pony, I think I have a cow-kitty! Disaster was about to strike again though.

Once Kimi tried to fake the cat out to the right, then whipped around and ran to the left, between the fence and the power pole again. The cat, quick on his toes, followed her and came up on Kimi beyond the pole. It was obvious neither one expected the other to be where they were and suddenly there they were again. Where fur meets with fluff! Garfield being the bigger and heavier of the two stayed on his feet, Kimi being quick and young, rolled over and leaped to her feet in a single bound. The cat arched again....and so did Kimi. The two circled one another with backs arched and tails high, and I sat there expecting to hear Kimi hiss! Warily they pranced on their toes, watching each other, waiting for the first move to be made.

Kimi made a jab with her nose. Garfield countered with a swipe of the paw. Kimi jumped back like a seasoned boxer and laughed at his slowness. "YIP!" she shouted, as she tippy-toed back to meet him. Garfield raised up on his back legs and issued a quick one-two punch with his left paw, Kimi grinned as she dodged them and raised up on her own back feet to throw a quick jab his way with both of her front feet. Kangaroo style! The cat raised up to his full height and 'bear-walked' toward Kimi on his back feet. Kimi's eyes got big, then so did her grin and she stood up on her back feet too. And here the game of Kitties ended.

Kimi fell over in a rolling pile of fur to land on her face and the cat jumped on top of her. Knowing Kimi is much smaller than the cat I yelled for Gafield to get off of her. He must have taken offense for he ran off and jumped not so gracefully over the top of the gate and disappeared. Kimi ran to the gate, but of course being only nine inches tall there was no way she was going to jump a four and a half foot tall gate. She slid to a stop in front of it, laid down and stuck her long nose under it to peer beyond for her friend. But Garfield was no where to be seen.

Letting out a huge sigh of disappointment Kimi turned to me and gave me a disgusted look. Once again mommy ruined all the fun and chased off her playmate. You know.......being mommy isn't always a fun job!

Kimi walked back over to me, head hung down dejectedly, laid down slowly at my feet and closed her tired eyes with a big sigh. Life is rough when you are young! I reached down to pet her on the head and asked her is she had fun. Kimi looked up at me with shinning eyes, wrinkled her nose at me once and laid her head down again. Content, tired and loved. That was all that mattered to her right then, and she was secure in her world.

So what did she learn this time? Don't try to be something you are not...you will only end up falling on your face.

walk in beauty

Kristi & Kimi