I sometimes buy shin bones for Zinnia and Fate. They don’t splitter, and the dogs will chew on them for weeks, even months. Fate tries to bury them in the backyard, but Zinnia digs them up and hides them herself.

They are way too small for Bud, or so I thought, so I get him smaller marrow bones to chew on, but he has always coveted these big ones.

Bud is crafty, he knows the big dogs will try to steal his bones if they can, so he drags them under the table into small spaces they can’t quickly get to.

Fate usually succeeds getting him to give up his bones; she is not as generous as Zinnia, who often gives her treats to Bud. And she is wicked smart, which Bud isn’t.

Today, our cleaning person opened the gate to my study to vacuum there, and Bud darted in and somehow got hold of Zinnia’s big shin bone and dragged it to his hideaway under the table.

Fate and Zinnia were outside in the snow.

Bud knows he’s not supposed to do that, but he also has this innocent “what me?” look when caught.

When they came in, Fate immediately went in after the bone and took it, and when she dropped it, Zinnia grabbed it and decided to stand his ground. Bud fought back, he growled and bark and made a racket – he and Zinnia are pals, and she would never hurt him – and dragged the bone back.

She stayed away.

Fate can be a thief, but she is not a fighter. She stayed close but backed away. But she hadn’t given up.

I know how this story ends, so I intervened. Bud needs an advocate sometimes.

Dog love is pure love, it runs deep and stays long.

I took the bone and brought it into my study – Bud following closely – and I put the bone and Bud in a crate so that he would be fully protected (he often drags his bones into his chest for safe chewing).

But was delighted to be in his fortress, the crate. I love watching out for Bud and making sure he gets his share of life. Bud barely survived his first years, Zinnia has yet to have a bad day, unless one counts vomiting rotting deer parts all over the bedroom floor.

While I worked and wrote, he was gnawing away on the bone, which is almost as big as he is. Zinnia dozed with her head on my foot.

After a couple of hours of chew, Bud dozed off; he dragged the bone to the front of the crate and went to sleep right next to it.

This was a significant victory for Bud; it’s not always easy to be the small dog in a home with big dogs. Since he loves the shin bones so much and they are safe for him to chew (he can’t have to think rawhide or strips, they get stuck in the roof of his mouth.

I’m going to order some more shin bones and give them to him in a crate.