Old dog, new trick

Our older dog, Ruthie, loves lasers.
In fact, she probably owes her life to laser technology.
When I went to the animal shelter with Maria and her kids seven years ago to pick out a dog, I took my laser pointer along to test adoption candidates for alertness and responsiveness.
Most of the dogs paid little attention to the appearance of a bright red dot skittering across the floor of their kennel enclosure. But Ruthie went crazy over it.
Besides that, she smiled at us with a look that said, "Here I am. What took you so long? Take me home."
So we did.
And the laser - in this case one that resembles a pen with pocket clip and runs on a pair of AAA batteries - remains her favorite toy.
I can stand on the back porch at night and run her all over the yard with the red dot. I can run her up and down the stairs until she is near collapse and her face registers deep disappointment when I stop to let her rest.
Pete the Australian sheperd pup who came to live with us just before Christmas also has an interest in the laser, but he doesn't get much of a chance to play because Ruthie knocks him out of the way in her frenzy to get a paw on the elusive crimson dot.
There was little positive interaction between the two dogs at first, but as the weeks have passed, Pete and Ruthie are learning to play together. They engage in games of tug-of-war with a rubber mallard and other dog toys and Pete loves to pester Ruthie. He nips at her flanks, then darts out of the way when she wheels around to get him. Being a herding dog and much younger, he can run circles around Ruthie and make her crazy. This can lead to Ruthie barking hysterically,which only makes Pete more aggressive with his playful soprano growls.
This usually happens in the evenings while Maria is sitting in the bedroom crocheting and watching TV and I'm in the adjacent upstairs office trying to edit photos or write. I gave up yelling at Ruthie to shut up and decided, instead, to break her concentration by flashing the laser onto the carpet near her.
This, of course, worked wonderfully and she was immediately drawn into a game of chase-the-laser, which Pete seemed to enjoy as well.
But over the last few nights, I began to notice Ruthie barking wildly at Pete, sometimes picking a fight with him, and then looking expectantly in my direction.
I finally caught on that she was deliberately making a fuss so I would bring out the laser.
The old dog was teaching me a new trick and I didn't even realize it.