Lies

Dogs can't lie. Not like we do, at least. They have no guile. They mislead, they coerce, they cover up, but they never outright lie. And even these are done from a standpoint of self-preservation. Lying is an ugly thing which creates shame. A dog is rarely shameful and when they appear so, they are generally shrinking away because they are astute enough to know they've violated one of our rules. Have you ever seen a shameful stray?

Arwen is watching me type. Actually she's watching me eat an ice cream sandwich while I think about typing. Ice cream is her favorite food, the one she will do almost anything to get. Almost. She's staring at me, then at the ice cream, then back at me. "I really want that now". There is no lie here, I know exactly what she wants. I also know that if I get up and leave the room, she won't steal it. I've tried it. She'll sniff it, stare longingly at it, but never take it. She has a code, and that is a lovely thing.