All Quiet on the Western Front

Zim asked in a comment on Hamish's guest blog whether or not I had the questionable kitty in my crate with me. I'm here to report that it is not said kitty with me in the crate but rather one of his toys, which I brought to my crate for thorough investigation for signs of spying, enemy action or other nefarious deeds. I also brought some of the people's jeans (seen in the bottom right corner) for sustenance (since they ALWAYS have treat remnants in their pockets).

I am still up in the air on my assessment of Fox. He seems to get along well with the other dogs in the pack and plays all the time with Rafe and Hamish. Of course, they are not nearly as skilled at recognizing the signs of evil and wrong-doing as I am, so they take his boxing of their ears as play rather than as an attempt to implant tracking devices into their brains. They also assume that his hiding around corners and leaping out unexpectedly is a sign that he's their friend. I know from long experience that this can be used as a ploy by cats to lull unsuspecting dogs into certain danger.

Although the older dogs, Renzo and Tansy, seem unconcerned about Fox, I shot the photo below while wearing night goggles. You can see quite clearly that he is attempting to get into our food bags while the people are not there to supervise (which always seems to be the case with the stupid people--just when the potential for hazard is greatest, they go off to watch football or something).
I have decided that occasional, cautious forays out of the crate are safe, however. I am always careful to look high and low to locate Fox before settling for chewing a bone or giving Rafe a much needed lesson. If Fox so much as moves toward me, I hightail it back to the crate with a couple loud barks telling him to stay far away from me as I'm not susceptible to his charms.

It is important, however, that I make such moves since it is now only four days before the revelation of the people's big secret. I'm not sure at this point that we are going to be successful at ferreting it out beforehand, though believe me, it has not been for lack of trying. All dogs have been working tirelessly, but the people are just too cunning on this one. We are pretty sure that the secret involves an animate, possibly sentient, being since the people have been talking about warding off the cold once the furniture is moved.

Here are the most recent clues
1. Renzo overheard them say something about charging the camcorder batteries before Saturday.

2. Tansy caught the following snippet from an e-mail message "....noon...all going at once...easier that way."

3. Hamish and Rafe noted definite differences in the people's play bows, snuggles and tone of voice, indicating increased attention to obedience training for the two of them.

4. Finally, at my agility class last night, my person spoke for some time with the agility instructor, who kept looking at me and smiling.

Whatever does it all mean???