Sometimes, our dog, Coda, will purposefully look at our cat, Buddy, and then walk over to his toy rabbit***, proceeding to pick it up and shake it violently back and forth while growling, as if to say to the cat, “This is what I would do to you if I could!!!”.

***Used to be a toy rabbit–is now a stuff-less, furry, headless rag

Then Coda will flip the fluffy-tailed rag-toy into the air with utter glee, catch it, and fling it again! Occasionally, the small, pathetic thing (the toy, not the dog) will land atop of the television screen, completely out of reach for our stubby-legged pooch. 

As Coda stands there staring at his lost toy, yearning for it to return to him, this is the moment the cat smiles, and it is HIS turn to purposefully look at the dog, completely knowing that HE could retrieve Coda’s toy if he so desired.  But he does NOT desire this.  He finds joy in torturing the dog.

They love each other.