5:00
Sleepy husky hears a howl and knows who's there
Nothing unusual is happening today, Key the husky is told, over and over. Nothing to be suspicious about. Key doesn't look convinced. more
It is a nice, average walk, his human tells him, out on the grass and back, and then home for breakfast, where everything is normal. So normal. This is a dog who is very hard to fool, and he can tell when something is up.
SaveAfter breakfast the house goes quiet. Key stretches out on the carpet and his human lies down beside him, and for a while nothing happens at all. Then a howl rises from somewhere outside.
Key goes from fast asleep to wide awake in a blink. “He's out there,” his human says. “Woke you up?” He knows that howl. He knows exactly who is outside.
Save“Here he is.” Sherpa comes through the door and heads for the kitchen, where the biscuits are. Soon it is biscuit time, and the rules are simple. “Sherpa, where did your butt go? Put your butt down.” He puts his butt down. “There you go.”
Key gets his biscuit, and a second one on top. “Go get your second biccie,” she says, and then, “You're a hobbit, aren't you? So it's a second breakfast.” A biccie, for anyone wondering, is a biscuit. After that the treats turn into a game of chance. “Do you want a biccie? I got burgers,” she says, and a moment later, “It's like a weird lottery. Ready? Catch.”
SaveNext up is the Key roll. “You want a roll, Key? Which way?” He rolls over, pops back up and waits to be paid. She's firm about the fee. “No, you don't get another one for that.”
He tries again anyway. “Don't get any funny ideas. You don't get a biccie every time you do a roll. It's a Key roll.” The rolls are the part people love most, and she sounds like she has had this talk with him many times before.













