“So where were you hanging out when I came in from blowing snow?”

—Nowhere special.

“It was strange because usually you greet me at the door.”

—Um, yeah, sorry about that.

“You seem a little reluctant to chat . . . you were camped out on the bed, weren’t you?”

—No, no, I was . . . um . . . patrolling the . . . uh . . . back rooms.

“Meaning the bedroom, since the office door is closed, which probably means you were snoozing on the bed.”

—Not at all, just being vigilant, as usual.

“You sure were taking up a lot of space on the bed last night.”

—Just trying to maximize my warming effect.

“I see.”

—Spreading out spreads the joy, don’t you know.

“I do now.”

—Another service of your fierce but loyal dog: versatile, vibrant, vigilant, and vicious.

“What’s that, a new slogan?”

—Yes, I’ve been doing some market-testing of the 4-Vs motto.

“Vicious? Not exactly comforting.”

—Well, I meant vicious to intruders and other enemies.

“I’m not sure that’s exactly clear.”

—Okay, I’ll continue the refining process.

“You do that . . . and stay off the bed.”