Idle Paws
From Chicken Soup for the Soul: Life Lessons from the Dog
By Sheryl-Ann Odell

No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich.
~Louis Sabin

We unlocked the vestibule door leading to our apartment. There were only two doors inside, and one was ours. It led directly upstairs to our nice but basic one-bedroom-plus-loft apartment in a north shore town of the majestic and breathtakingly beautiful Lake Tahoe. Recently, we had had the good fortune to move up from the lower studio apartment, which had been rather dark and dungeon-like. We could barely afford our new place, but feared we would turn into moles if we remained downstairs much longer.

As we approached our door, we noticed a strange substance peeking out from underneath it. It was pinkish in color and had a somewhat fluffy look to it. Confused, we opened the door carefully and then, recognizing what it was, we gasped in horror. (Keep reading)