Last time, it was an antler ... this time - the shell of an armadillo. Not sure which dog actually found it, or where they found it, but Mercy has laid claim to it.
She was guarding this with her life - even waiting through meal time in order to protect her shell from not only Lilly, but now Annie, too.
These are my rough translations for you.
"What are you looking at?"
"Don't even think about it, Annie - that's close enough"
"Is she coming? What's she doing back there"
"It's mine"
"All mine"
"Unless, of course, you take it from me. Then it would be, well, um, yours"
"May I have it back, please? Please! Don't let Annie have it!!!"
"Thank you"
"Thank you"
"Thank you! Yum - this is tasty!"
Note: I finally had to take it away from her, for her own good. She was sitting all day in nearly the same spot guarding her shell - even in the hottest part of the day, in the sun and sand. She was also a little bit aggressive with me when I would get near her prized possession, so for the kid's sake, it made sense to get rid of it.
