I am Horsing Around, of course

A cowboy and his faithful dog were taking a walk on the far side of the pasture when they came across a genie tangled up in the barbed wire.

The genie was in a really bad bind, and it took the cowboy and faithful dog several hours of work to get the genie untangled.

They finished just as dusk was turning into a dark moonless night.

In gratitude for the show of western hospitality, the genie said that he could grant a wish to both the cowboy and dog. The genie turned to the cowboy first and asked: "Brave cowboy, what reward can I give you for your kindness?"

The cowboy thought of the long walk back to the ranch and, without hesitation, said: "I'd like a horse, of course."

A gallant bridled steed appeared. The cowboy jumped onto the saddle and rode off into the sunset.

The genie then turned toward the dog and asked: "What gift can I give you?"

The dog thought of the relentless hunger that gnawed at its ribs and promptly said: "I'd like a course of horse!"

The Parable of the Unchased Cat

Dogs impart wisdom through Aesopian tales. Coco recounted for me the parable of the unchased cat.

Once upon a time there was a cat that needed chasing.

Cats need chasing for their own good.

Dogs saw that the cat needed chasing, but were unable to chase the cat because the dogs were on leashes.

The dogs saw the cat sitting on a porch, needing chasing.

They saw the cat sitting under a pickup truck, needing chasing.

They even saw the cat in the middle of the street, needing chasing.

The cat clearly needed chasing in the worst way possible, yet the cat went unchased.

The dogs would tug at their leashes.

The dogs would make desperate lunges at the cat only to be choked by rope and collar.

Thus did the dogs suffer mightily in their altruistic effort to see that the cat had a good chasing.

The chasing never happened.

One day, the cat was sitting on the hood of a car. As the cat hadn't been chased, it was sitting there all snooty and catlike thinking nothing bad could ever happen.

Then, an eagle swooped down and snagged it.

The end.