Counter surfing isn’t a hip new extreme sport. Counter surfing (or table surfing) is when your dog takes advantage of food left near the edge of the table or counter by standing up on his or her hind legs.
Tonight at my mother’s birthday party, my brother’s dog Kuma nearly surfed herself a piece of pizza! She came bounding down the stairs, thrilled to see a house full of family and friends. As she worked her way around the table, greeting everyone, she suddenly popped up on her hind legs and poked her nose into my grandmother’s half-eaten slice of Sicilian pie. Half the table scrambled to get the food away from the edges; the other half of us burst into hysterics.
It was time to relive some of our other favorite counter surfing stories. And yes, Kuma stars in more than one.
My brother had recently moved home with his two dogs — Kuma and Lily Biscuits. My father was sitting down to eat a sandwich when the doorbell rang. He answered the door and returned not a minute later to find himself in a mystery: The Case of the Missing Sandwich. Some evidence was left at the scene of the crime… the bottom half of the bread was still on the plate. The lettuce was left on the floor. The top half of the bread and the meat within had both vanished! The culprit? One black dog named Kuma, the fastest counter surfer in the East.
Lily has done her share of counter surfing as well. My parents were entertaining some other retired teachers one afternoon, and my mother had (as usual) laid out a spread. Snacks, sandwiches, brownies, and a pineapple upside down cake. It was the cake that tempted Lily up onto her hind legs to lick her way along the side! A large section of delicious cake fell victim to Lily’s licker that day.
Then there are some dogs who won’t surf, no matter how inviting the meal is. I remember being so tired after work one day that I fell asleep on the couch, my dinner half-eaten on an end table. Two hours later I woke up to find my homemade pizza completely untouched. Miko could have easily gobbled the whole thing, but for some reason… he just didn’t. I can remember him snagging a pretzel stick from my desk one afternoon when I was distracted on the phone, though. Maybe it just depends on the prize.