Christmas Present Practice

After all the nice things I have said about Sammy, only tearing up or chewing things that aren't a big deal (paper notes) and never messing with things he shouldn't. Like he had a special sense about what would be too far, like my shoes! Like the time he pulled each peice of gum out of a gum packet and set it around the room, but never chewed any (that I can tell) or hurt anything. It was just a reminder that he was lonely and so I had to pick up gum for going to class. Or the fact that he just drinks the tree water. He has sniffed the tree itself, but never any more. I believe that it because he has this sense that it is very big on the naughty list, that his mom loves Christmas and needs the tree to be pretty! He chews bones on top of my flip flops and (faux) berkingstocks almost in a way to remind me he is a good dog and knows his limits, and that I need to always remember that. He doesn't attack any hanging decorations for any holiday, no electronics, doesn't chew on any furniture, nothing. A very well mannered pup. He is very responsible while we are gone, which is why he has never been kennel trained at home.
Well, maybe it was the last blog where I talked about how he wasn't a "normal" dog for not attacking the bones on the tree. Or that when he did get a human candy cane, he didn't even eat it, but got it stuck in his rear end. Now I have meant all these things as compliments. In our house, weird and weirdo are (98% of the time) compliments. Weird is usually a different way of saying unique, proud individual around here. Maybe I need to sit Sammy down to explain that to him. Anyway, with no further ado I present Sammy's mischevious side. Here is what I came home to yesterday:  (it's cell phone photos, all I had at my fingertips at the scene of the christmas crime)

I sent the photos to my mom, and the first thing she said was how innocent Sammy looked. Why yes, he looks very innocent there doesn't he? He isn't even looking at it, like he is above such destruction! Just after the picture he looked up at me like, "But mom, it's my first Christmas, I just wanted to practice opening presents even if it wasn't mine! And you wrapped it so pretty with the gold Merry Christmas paper, green ribbon and poinsetta...."