I’ve never had a small dog before, and I am fascinated by the difference between small dogs and larger dogs (I have two). Large dogs tend to be quieter, calmer, I think. Gus is active from dawn to dusk, he can amuse himself but he is vigilant and misses nothing. He seems to be everywhere, all the time.

The Labs I’ve had, and even the border collies are often lounging around, they can doze for a long time. If you touch a treat box anywhere in the house at any time, Gus will magically appear by your feet, looking up eagerly.

He is much more mobile than a larger dog, he appears i all kinds of spaces a dog has never appeared around me before. Last night, I was sitting in my chair reading, and Gus suddenly manage to appear on my knee, holding one of his stuffed aniimals. He chewed on his bear, and then closed his eyes and took a brief nap (it was 8 p.m.).

I’ve never had a dog take a nap on my knee before, it was something a mouse, or even a cat might do, but never a dog. Gus was quite happy up there, he likes to be near people, even when he’s busy chewing on something.

I was about to shoo him off – do I want dogs lying on my knee? – but I kind of liked it, he wasn’t bothering me and I could barely feel his weight on my leg. I smiled at the thought of it.  Lighten up, I said, and I think Gus deserves some credit for keeping us light and smiling.

Small dogs have a freedom of movement that larger dogs don’t have. Red would love to nap on my knee, but he couldn’t do it. Gus squeezes in small crevices and spaces, almost like a mouse. When he got off of my knee, he saw Maria was sitting on the couch blogging, there seemed to be no space between her and the edge of the big sofa.

I could almost hear the wheels turning – “ah, a better deal!” And off he went.

Gus hopped up there and squeezed right into what seemed to be an impossible place, he curled up into a tiny ball and went to sleep. The wind was howling outside, it was getting cold. Gus could not have been warmer or more snug. He burrowed right in, and was going nowhere.

When the barn cats come inside for the winter, there’ll be quite a tussle for that space. I’m betting on Gus.

As the win raged, Red and Fate were down on the colder floor, they wouldn’t even have considered going up on the couch, where dogs are not allowed in our home, even though now there is usually one small dog up on one piece of furniture or the other.

Gus is the Little Prince, everything is his.

“Look,” I said to Maria at one point, “I have a dog sitting on my knee while I read.”  I was incredulous. She looked up and me and smiled, “yes,” she said, “amazing.”