This column doesn’t have a single topic, but is a collection of a few things Rhiannon and Gael did this past week, starting with last weekend. That lovely, deep snowfall we got delighted the dogs. Gael, especially, seemed to enjoy playing in it. I dug out the dark green ball that’s a little easier to find in the snow, and Gael chased it across the yard, burying her head in the snow to find the ball when it landed. The snow didn’t last, but it was fun for a while. I’m back to using the white ball again until winter finally arrives. I don’t mind the lack of snow, but I’d like some colder weather; our yard is getting some muddy patches.

Whether or not there’s snow, Rhiannon’s idea of fun is to sniff out the peanuts that the squirrels hide in the tangle of lower branches of the back hedge. It was fun watching her smell and retrieve a peanut that had been tucked away in the very center of our hydrangea bush. I didn’t think she’d be able to reach it, but I underestimated the determination of a Corgi when there’s food involved.

That same weekend, I gave Rhiannon her Christmas present early. It was a dog toy and I had just left it on the corner of my desk. It had been there for a couple of weeks and I didn’t think Rhiannon had even noticed it. Apparently, she had just been waiting patiently for me to give it to her, and last weekend, her patience ran out. She jumped up and grabbed the toy. It’s made by PetSafe and is called a Pogo Plush toy. Rhiannon’s is a panda. These toys have a squeaker, but no stuffing so they are supposed to last longer.

I’ve heard that claim before, and one Corgi or the other has always managed to disembowel any toy with a squeaker within an hour or two, so I sat down to watch. The Pogo Plush toy has an inner frame that shapes the toy, and it gives under pressure from the dog’s jaws. The squeaky is loose within the frame, so it can move around. Rhiannon’s usual technique is to poke a toy hard with her nose until she discovers the location of the squeaky. Then she proceeds to bite at it, and chew on the toy until she gets through to the stuffing.

She did chew off the panda ears, but because the squeaky moved around in the toy, she could never get a good fix on where it was. Sometimes, after poking it several times with her nose and having no luck, she would bring the toy to me so I could step on it and locate the squeaky for her.

I don’t know if she ever would have eventually chewed through to the inner frame, because the squeaky died sometime Thursday, and, when even my stomping on it produced no sound, Rhiannon lost interest. These toys seem very well made and this one certainly lasted longer than any other plush toy I’ve ever given the dogs, so I’ll be a repeat customer.

One night last week, I grabbed a handful of peanuts to munch, and immediately had the dogs’ attention. We never feed them from the table, but the living room is fair territory for begging. Gael’s nonchalant about it, staying in the area so that she’s ready for anything that drops, but not being pushy. Rhiannon invented pushy. She has an intense stare that would put a Border Collie to shame.

I gave each dog a half a peanut. Gael took hers politely. Rhiannon lunged for hers and knocked it into the furnace cold air return. Unfortunately, the grate over the return is wood, and is nailed into the floor. I could see the peanut, but couldn’t reach it. Rhiannon could both see and smell the peanut and started to claw at the surrounding carpet. It was time to be inventive.

I got a plastic straw, chewed a stick of gum, then stuck the gum onto the end of the straw, and lowered the straw through the grate. The peanut was further down than it looked and the straw and gum almost joined the peanut, but I got a better grip, and pushed the gum onto the peanut, then pulled everything back through the grate and threw everything away. I was pleased that my idea had worked, but Rhiannon was disappointed; I think she was hoping for both the peanut and the gum.