The Players

ASTON
Six years old and some sort of schnauzer mix, Aston was born somewhere in Texas most likely and wound up at the SPCA in Dallas right around his first birthday, when I adopted him. He loves cow hooves, car trips, has a nervous stomach, likes to hog pillows, is afraid--among other things--of the dark, open spaces and most polished floors, and is the best behaved of all the animals. He has shown virtually no interest in Cuddles, although he did sniff her while she sat in my lap. One of his favorite things to do is play with Pablo. But will this mild-mannered pooch get in touch with his inner schnauzer exterminator after a little cavy influence?

ALICE
Don't be fooled by the fact that Alice likes to be ungroomed, was born in rural Oklahoma and bought at a Petland (yes, I know; they're the worst puppy mill ever). She's not white trash. Alice is pedigreed, papered, and pampered. This three year-old Westie rules the house, putting the "A" in "Alpha." Alice has never met a piece of furniture she didn't want to sit on or a stranger she didn't want to adopt her. She is known for barking, being selectively housebroken, and dancing on her hindlegs to get attention from everyone she sees. She, too, plays with Pablo and likes to groom him. Cuddles excites her tremendously and has been the recipient of a lick already. But be warned: Westies were bred to hunt vermin...can environment trump heredity?

PABLO
He's just about to turn two. He's long and lithe. He growls like a dog. And he's definitely fascinated by a four legged critter in a glass cage. That's Pablo, who was christened "Spencer" (ick) after being born into a litter at the SPCA in Dallas. Luckily, I adopted him and recognized his inner "Pablo"-ness, since "Spencer" is the name for a bad boyfriend, not a lucky black cat. Pablo enjoys sleeping on plastic bags, playing with the dogs, tricking the dogs, and apparently now watching Cuddles. But is this voyeurism friendly or feral?