If you asked Delilah what her favorite treat in the world was, she’d tell you (well….if she could talk she’d tell you) it was bananas.

A few years back I discovered dehydrated banana chips from Trader Joe’s. Both dogs love these treats, and I use the for many things. NOT walking, God not walking, they’re much too sticky for that. BUT, we do use them when the dogs sit nicely while we’re working in the kitchen, while they’re waiting for us to finish our dinner, or after Delilah gets her eye drops. Hubby even leaves her a few banana chips for her to discover when we come back from our morning walk.

If I had to categorize banana chips, I’d say they are a VERY high value treat in our house.

As it happened, Delilah had a vet appointment yesterday morning (just a lipoma, thank God!), but as luck would have it, I had run out of regular treats, so Hubby said, “Grab the banana chips.”

After she’d had the lump aspirated, and while we were waiting to hear that it was in fact, a fatty tumor, I naturally gave her some banana chips, then I set them in the window.

Look at that focus.

Of course I smiled. Because really, look at that face and tell me it doesn’t make you smile.

You make me smile (or laugh), the sweet, funny, loving things my dogs do that bring a smile to my face, or a laugh to my lips.

What did your pet do this week that made you smile?

I’m beaming from ear to ear over this little girl right here.

Yesterday we were taking our afternoon walk. We were hitting e-fence ‘row.’ It’s a spot in our neighborhood where six houses in a row have dogs, and three of the dogs are on the e-fence. (Coincidently, all three of those dogs have come out of their yards after us, at least one.) As we started down the ‘row,’ I noticed the dog on the end house was in her yard, and one of the kids who live there was mowing the lawn. I say kid, but he’s really a teenager, I’d guess in about the 15-year-old range.

Roxy started barking at us right away, which was unusual, but I think it had to do with the fact that her ‘kid’ was outside with her.

We were on the opposite side of the street, and Delilah was walking like a dream beside me, looking to me for treats and direction.

The young man had moved to the back of the house, to put the lawnmower away. We had just passed the driveway when Roxy started running along the front of the yard, and then it happened.

She broke the fence and started charging across the road at us.

I stopped and yelled, “HEY! GET BACK IN YOUR YARD.”

She stopped and then, to my horror, Delilah caught me off guard with a little tug, and the leash came out of my hand and Delilah was a free dog.

Delilah is not a dog that tolerates a charging dog very well, she is fierce and unafraid and she took off after Roxy, who had the good sense to retreat.

The young man, hearing my shout, came around the corner of the house and called for Roxy. Delilah meanwhile, was still on a mission.

Just as she was ready to follow Roxy into her own yard, I called to her, “Delilah, come!”

And this dog, this dog that has had me chasing her through woods, knocking on doors because her leash got stuck on an air conditioning unit, sneaking her out of a neighbor’s garage, going into yards because something was far more interesting than me.

Yes, this dog, turned on a dime when I called her and came right back to me.

And THAT makes me smile.

You make me smile (or laugh), the sweet, funny, loving things my dogs do on a daily basis that makes me smile or laugh.

What did your pet do that made you smile this week?