Stop Thief!

I'm convinced if Coda had thumbs, by now he'd be behind bars in an orange jumpsuit trading favors for cigarettes. There's no way around this...Coda is a thief. His life of crime started early with misdemeanors like lifting socks from the hamper. My husband and I hoped his pilfering was a passing puppy phase, but after this last incident we've lost all hope of our boy having a clean rap sheet.

It might be faster to give you a list of items Coda hasn't stolen. I don't think he's managed a T.V. yet, but he did get at least two cell phones and a set of car keys. If I hadn't stopped him, he'd probably have driven to Mexico. I've lost count of how many toys he's nabbed out of unsuspecting hands. His favorite grab are those plastic Chuckits to throw tennis balls, not to mention the balls themselves. Coda also has a reputation at Dog Park for taking leashes and dumping over a very large water tub and then dragging it around. I don't think he thought that caper through. But by far, Coda's best steal was a shoe. Now you're probably thinking, big deal all dogs steal shoes, but this is Coda we're talking about. If there's one thing Coda's got, it's flair.

Picture Coda at Dog Park on a sunny day. It isn't crowded, but there's a nice gathering. Dogs are happily playing while owners stand in small groups to chat or sit comfortably at benches in the shade. All is peaceful and even Coda seems content chasing a Boxer. That is until Coda spots a lady on a bench and hatches a plan. Why he chose her is still a mystery, but he wags and wiggles right up to her. She is sitting with her legs crossed, wearing a nice pair of leather flip flops. As she reaches down to pat Coda's head, Coda smiles. Then instead of a waiting for his pat, Coda pulls the flip flop right off the lady's foot and makes a dash for it.

Everyone (except of course the lady now missing a shoe) chased Coda around Dog Park while I worried he was slobbering and ruining the nice leather. But why worry about slobber when there's a mud puddle in the corner? Yep, he gave up the chase and dropped that shoe right in the mud. I had to wonder - does Hallmark make a greeting card for this?

I offered to pay for damages, but the one-shoed woman was nice and accepted the flip flop once I rinsed it with the hose. I still wonder if the shoe was completely ruined, but I haven't seen her at the park since. Who can blame her? It's obviously a dangerous neighborhood riddled with hoodlums. Of course, even hoodlums have their softer side.

Just the other day Coda posed like a real gentleman in a beautiful family photo. Too bad it wasn't our family.