My Maggie is a great big Sheltie, well-trained and my best friend (well, of the canine variety). When my granddaughter adopted a black Lab puppy, Maggie wasn't sure of this turn of events, but eventually accepted it. In fact, thanks to traveling together to the farm, a five-hour trip, they're becoming buddies.

So I felt fairly confident that all would be well when I left Anna, now nearly six months old, with Maggie as a dogsitter. Puppies learn from big dogs, right? And as a herding dog, surely Maggie wouldn't let Anna do anything really bad.

I was so wrong.

On first glance, everything seemed pretty much okay when I got home. The house didn't seem any messier than when I'd left. And Anna had gone with her master, so the house was much quieter than when I'd left. Until Maggie started barking.

She ran right to the couch, the big tattletale. And there was evidence of what had gone on in my absence. Crumbs and bits of waxed brown paper littered the cushions, proof that a puppy had found the half-roll of round buttery crackers I'd left on the table beside my chair.

I knew Anna was the culprit for two reasons: Maggie has never done such a thing and besides, if she had been the bad one, would she have been so eager to tell on herself? Besides, Anna had tried to sneak the baggie of puppy treats the night before and been stopped by Maggie's immediate tattling.

I am no snitch. So I made light of the incident when telling Anna's mama about it, and garnered the expected laughter. I do, however, intend to make some changes before two doggies stay home again – like maybe hiding all the yummy stuff inside a locked iron chest.