As the smallest member of the family, Smid sometimes got caught in situations, not of his own doing. He had his own doings, just not always.
Sometimes Sidney got caught in "his sister's" sphere of influence. For some reason, she could pretty much do him anyway she wanted. Had "his brother" tried something, Smid would have growled and shown his teeth. His sister could comb his hair and groom him with no reaction. He'd act like the compliant puppy. It was not uncommon for her to be able to have him in her lap and flip him over by grabbing all his feet at once, and he wouldn't try to get up and run away. He'd just lay there, batting his eyes. On one such occasion, he should have shown his teeth.
When I drove up to the house, I could see Smid chained in his usual spot. Except this time, something was different. When I got out of the car and walked up to him, he greeted me, but something was amiss. Someone had combed the hair on the top of his head in a "spike" and the spike was blue. Upon closer inspection, I could see that "someone" had painted his toenails blue, to match. I had my suspect.
When I went into the house, I uttered the question, "Alright, who Mohawked that baby?" Of course it was his sister. She started laughing. Who else could it have been? No one else could have controlled him long enough to do something like that. Anyone else would have been bitten or he would have hid in his rat's nest.
His sister was in junior high at the time, and the subject became part of something in English or Literature class. "Who Mohawked that baby?"
I tried to explain to her that Smid had his standing in the neighborhood. Who could take a watch dog seriously, that had a blue Mohawk and blue toenails? What would the other dogs think? Smidley should have bitten his sister, for general principles.
