Our typical Sunday afternoon of pretend dining, jump practice, giggling, dancing, reading and general silliness was interrupted yesterday by a scurrying of the dogs to the back deck.

Again.

This happens quite often as we live next door to two cats who quite often tease the dogs by prancing across the top of the fence, occasionally deigning to swipe a paw in the general direction of Bella or Beary. Of course, this is met with much tail wagging, general discouragement and a good dose of woo woo-ing from Beary. Stay on your own side of the fence cats, or you’ll know about it.

Sometimes the cats don’t jump up to the top of the fence, they just sit behind it, so there is much sniffing from our side and pressing of snouts right up against the fence, just in case the scent is stronger up closer – or perhaps in case their snouts are so powerful that they can will the cats right through the fence by sniff alone.

I wandered out one evening last week to this commotion, which is not uncommon. What was uncommon was the sight that greeted me atop our fence. It is worth reminding you at this point this is a fence that runs in between a house where two cats live on one side and two dogs on the other. Because sitting up there on his hind legs, pleased as punch with himself was a little grey mouse. Not a big old scary rat, or a mouse who looked like he was tough and lived on the streets, but a teeny little mouse that looked like it could have been someone’s pet.

Except it wasn’t.

And although mice don’t generally concern me as long as they are in fields far away, this one did concern me a little. The thought of what might become of it if either the cats next door, or my lovely fuzzy ones, got hold of it chilled me to the bone. Love Bug doesn’t need to learn that life lesson any time soon.

Of course, she was hot on my heels and incredibly disappointed to have missed the mouse as he scampered away. So now, each and every time the dogs rush out to the deck, Bubba is right there with them.

Occasionally she will wander out of her own accord, head tilted, as if to listen for the squeak of another furry friend. Mouse? she calls.

I was filming her practicing her jumping when it happened yesterday.

As enthusiastic as she is for a return of her small furry friend, I’m afraid I don’t share her keenness.

However ridonculously cute she looks in the willing!