Are You Coming Or What?

Barley, a dog, peers down from the top of a narrow staircase.

Barley knows only one way to handle stairs, whether ascending or descending: A dead sprint. Given a cue (or even a misunderstood gesture) she barrels up the stairs as if chasing a mechanical rabbit mounted on the handrail. Given this hair-trigger approach, it’s not uncommon for her to misread the situation and climb the stairs alone. Her high-strung astonishment when no one follows her delights me to no end. Real Charlie Brown going for the football energy.