A whodunit plays out in my own home
Indi and an unknown dog watch Alan Davies eat his own meal on TV
The scents of garlic, rosemary and lamb still waft through the house, almost 24 hours after I put the roast in the oven.
But the smells are all that’s left.
When I walked into the kitchen/family room this morning, the first thing Poor John said was, Did you put away the lamb roast last night?
Er, no. Why?
Because I found the platter and the carving knife on the dining room floor this morning. I thought it was on the kitchen counter last night?
As two dogs (Indi and Scout) bounced around me begging for breakfast, I said, Yes it was in the kitchen and now I suspect it’s in one or both of these dogs.
Now we’re faced with a bunch of unanswered questions.
Scout tries to look innocent or apologetic
Which dog started it? Indi is taller. Scout is older and perhaps wiser. Were both involved?
The kitchen floor is slate and the platter is ceramic. How did the platter fall and not break? How did we not hear the kerfuffle? Our bedroom isn’t that far away.
How did the carving knife travel with the platter, and yet there’s no sign of blood on either dog or on the floor?
Where’s the bone? Where’s any sign of meat juice on the kitchen floor OR the carpeted dining room floor?
Why did the dogs keep hounding me for breakfast and why did they crank up the hounding at dinnertime?
Will the many sprigs of rosemary and six cloves of garlic studded in the lamb have any adverse affect on the dogs?
They’ve come to my side as I type this. Are they begging for more food, trying to apologise or claiming innocence?
What do you think?
P.S. I am reminded of Aggie’s food forays, including his assault on Poor John’s desk to grab a 300-gram block of dark chocolate ($166.70 at the vets).
P.P.S. Happy Mother’s Day to all those mums out there. If you like lamb or just like stew, you should check out this recipe on my cooking blog. It’s called Mum’s lamb stew.
Indi says ‘Who me?’
Where to next? 
The big dog pulled the plate down, in fell onto the little dog therefore no broken plate and no noise.
If you are near the library in Canberra or if you can do Ebooks or if like me you trip out in Vinnies find Ethel Anderson, Juliet McCree Is Accused of Gluttony – Anderson was a very early Aussie writer. born 1883. It is worth the effort.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I think you’ve nailed the chain of events. And thanks for the book recommendation. Burp!
LikeLiked by 1 person
PS it is in the Oxford book of Australian Short Stories.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks. I checked and the library doesn’t have it as a separate title. Will look for it this week.
LikeLike
The dogs were having a wonderful, but quiet party as you slept. You may find the bone in your house some day when you least expect it . 😁
LikeLiked by 7 people
The bone is probably why I can still smell the lamb! 🙂 Now to find it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Possibly Inda and Scout learned newfound skills from TV watching Alan Davies eat while his faithful companion looks on implementing their caper with the knowledge gained from TV.
Or with perhaps the larger unknown canine companion on TV lives nearby, smelled your lovely lamb roast, came by only to find two faithful watchdogs he’d need to bribe with the juices from the plate and placing the carving knife nearby to help frame them while slipping away in the dark with his/her lamb feast.
Your pet door may have let in the lamb roast pinching scoundrel who left enough framing evidence for Indi and Scout?
In your sleep walking days since your global travels you safely put the lamb away in the icebox while politely giving Indi and Scout the platter to lick clean and inadvertently the carving knife.
Or perhaps Petra and her cricket team dropped by after a late long practice followed by a few grogs at the pub heading home with the munchies she just hasn’t quite made it back with a replacement lamb roast.
Or just maybe you were more hungry than you remember upon retiring last night leaving the scraps for Zindi and Scout?
Personally I have raccoons in the neighborhood who are so hungry they’ll destroy anything possibly edible outfoors, I just don’t have a pet door for the thieving varnents to come inside.
Hope this helps solve your mystery!
LikeLiked by 2 people
So many wonderful theories. I think I’ll blame Petra and her cricket team.
LikeLike
That is an amazing mystery that I’m sure you’ll have to ask St. Peter to tell you the truth when you arrive upstairs.
Dogs are way smarter than they appear when it comes to food. At least mine are.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Smarter and much cagier.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Did you check their breath? Bet they both reek of lovely garlicky rosemary lamb stuff!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Oh yeah, I checked their breath and they both smelled of lamb.
LikeLike
You have a couple very clever pups, I’d say.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Clever and hungry. Oh wait, today they couldn’t be hungry.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Haha…smart dogs! I love the picture, “Who me?”
LikeLiked by 2 people
Trust me, she isn’t innocent!
LikeLiked by 2 people
😀 …
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would say you have two very happy dogs this morning!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yeah, happy and bloated.
LikeLike
LOL. Just told the family a bout your lamb. Happy Mothers Day LeggyPeggy.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hope you’re having a great Mother’s Day too.
LikeLike
Oh, those doggy faces – they know just which expression to use when.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Don’t they though.
LikeLike
The cat did it 🙂
Failing that…….it was Poor John.
He knew it was on the kitchen counter and had plenty of time to both eat the lamb, AND place the knife and plate neatly on the floor before you got up in the morning.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Of course, it was the cat. Eduardo, the neighbour’s cat, probably came in the dog door and stole the lamb. I’ll speak to his mother about it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Last night I read That Nelson by Tom Sullivan to my granddaughter. It’s a true story about a dog that is trained to be a guide dog for the blind. At the beginning Nelson is a puppy and cannot resist the odor of a Thanksgiving turkey cooling on the kitchen counter. After a bit of turkey gravy drips on his nose, the rest is history.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh That Nelson. Easy to figure out how the book got its name.
LikeLike
I don’t know. . . . your doggies look very innocent. It’s very suspicious that Poor John was the one to ask . . . innocently . . . whether you left the roast out . . . Did you smell Poor John’s breath and did HE want breakfast . . . .??
LikeLiked by 3 people
Yikes, I forgot to smell his breath. You’re probably right. That’s why the bone is missing—he hid it in the rubbish bin.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe you were burgled and the burglar put the lamb down for the dogs to keep them occupied while he stole your valuables. Sounds like a good story to me and the dogs should stick to it. Have you checked your valuables?
dorothysstories.wordpress.com
>
LikeLiked by 2 people
Entirely possible. Off to check the valuables now.
LikeLike
My Dh says the bone is under the couch?
LikeLiked by 1 person
The valuables are secure and no bones under the couch. The mystery deepens.
LikeLike
How in heck could they have gotten that platter down onto the floor without breaking it!!! This is very spooky.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m not at all surprised they ate it, but I am stunned that the platter hit a slate floor and didn’t break.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a mystery! Are you sure Poor John is completely innocent? Sounds like it could have been a set-up to me.
LikeLiked by 2 people
He’s playing it straight, so I may never know.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hmmm, What a mystery. Reminds me of the time I found the cat hoeing into the meat loaf that was waiting on the kitchen bench for the visitors to arrive. Being the only meat I had for the meal, I had to cut that bit out and serve it anyway. No-one was the wiser.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Oh that’s hilarious Coral, but probably not so much at the time. Our cat once walked across my mother’s rolled-out egg noodles. Company was coming and mom just cut around each footprint.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is a true mystery! Love it!
LikeLiked by 2 people
And no one is saying whodunit!
LikeLike
Hmmm Lamb is very rich. You might have discovered if it was the dogs or not by now. Did you check the back yard lawn? :0
LikeLiked by 2 people
The dogs are showing no ill effects, but they couldn’t finish their breakfast. No evidence in the back yard.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was Scout’s idea. I know that look.
LikeLiked by 2 people
You’re probably right. We are minding Scout for a couple of weeks while his ‘mother’ is in the UK. She reckons Scout was the mastermind, but too short to pull off the heist by himself.
LikeLike
See that is the thing Scout is too little for the counter. He had to have a partner in crime? Do we think it is poor John. I want to know where that bone is? I think if we/you find the bone is we will know the answer?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree Jeanette, they were in it together and the whole answer hinges on the bone. One question remains—was Poor John part of they?
LikeLike
I think Poor John knew he had an opportunity to have more lamb the next day. So I am taking him out of the mix. Did someone bury the bone? I will tell you if there is a buried bone. Then you need to get with the program.
LikeLike
Yes, there was too much lamb for Poor John to keep to himself. I suspect the bone is buried somewhere in the backyard, but given that it’s been pouring with rain since the crime was committed, I imagine the evidence would be impossible to spot. And how would I know that it wasn’t a bone I’d actually given them on some other occasion?
LikeLike
We need to bring in the CIA lol. They will find that bone in the back yard. We will do DNA testing & see if Poor John had something to do with this?
LikeLiked by 1 person
They told me they were too busy to come. 😦
LikeLike
I have no theories to offer up but I really enjoyed reading this post Peggy. Your dogs are such cuties and I have a hard time believing that they could be the culprits of such sinister nocturnal activities. I mean look at those innocent faces–awe ❤
LikeLiked by 2 people
I think you are too generous. Those hunched shoulders say ‘guilty’ to me. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahaha!! I don’t know Peggy I like some of the other theories that suggest perhaps Poor John may have had something to do with this caper.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh yes, Poor John looks innocent enough but he has a streak of devilishness in him.
LikeLiked by 1 person
How much time elapsed between finding the lamb gone and when you wrote this post? I think it would have taken me a week to get my even temper back. I’m impressed with your calm, as much as the dogs burgling!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Good question. I posted it the day it happen. Well the day of the morning that the theft was discovered. To be honest, I didn’t lose my temper. For starters, they MIGHT have thought I left it out for them. This is not the first time something like this has happened in my house, but it is a first with these dogs. And besides, it’s not like I threw out a rotten leg of lamb, which would have been a complete waste. This way the dogs had a good meal. I didn’t have to feed them for 24 hours. I got a blog post out of it. The downside was that I had to cook AGAIN that night. I’d hoped to stretch the leftovers.
LikeLike
This really is funny as crap!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Irritating and hilarious at the same time.
LikeLike
The dogs ‘done it’ and they know how to psych out their owner’s mind.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Indeed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Engineer Marine Skipper.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Many thanks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
two very happy dogs you have
like
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very, very happy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Welcome to the “Dog Club”! It is bound to happen to many people who own dogs. One year I spent a few hours marinating and then roasting roast beef… only to find out later (after resting on the kitchen table, when done) that my dog decided it was hers. Possession is 9/10th of the law. As you might agree, I was a little ticked off. Be nice to Indi and Scout… they still deserve lots of TLC.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, they’re getting plenty of TLC and walks too. I’m even still feeding them. 🙂
LikeLike
I can’t imagine being angry with those faces. We once left home leaving a bowl of Halloween candy on a chair and returned to find that our dog had eaten all the candy and left the wrappers. Amazingly, she showed no ill effects.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Some dogs are like garbage cans. Ours have mostly be able to eat anything. That does present its own kind of problem. But yes, their faces go some way to getting them off the hook.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The unbroken ceramic plate, where the knife landed and the lack of noise pose quite a mystery. I’d say you have a couple of very smart scoundrels living in your midst.(I almost wrote ‘crooks’ instead of ‘scoundrels’, but perhaps that’s a bit too harsh! Lol.) After all, they do look very sorry for committing the dirty deed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just realised we’ve got a new combination for Cluedo—Scout (or Indi) in the dining room with the knife (or platter)
LikeLiked by 1 person
You must have had a “Cat Burglar” after some more bathroom tile…. they ate the lamb roast and let the dogs lick the plate on the floor, appearing to land upright and knife in it. Do you have a security video of the burglar falling asleep after such a nice meal… and no tip or note for the cook. Poor dogs taking all the blame!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sy, we’ll never know how all this played out, but it’s probably okay to blame the cat we don’t own. We do have a dog door and a cat burglar could come in. The cat probably brought its staff and that’s who lifted down the platter. 🙂
LikeLike
I think Indi handed the platter to Scout and then Scout told Indi to grab the knife so it didn’t fall to the ground or worse yet slice one of them. With Scout being the wiser, he probably told Indi,now in the morning we must act hungry and put on our innocent look. They did both very well!! What a fun post, I just love dogs, they’re the greatest!! Oh well so much for leftovers… 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
No doubt, it played out exactly as you have written. Scout is wise and Indi follows some orders. Oh, and those pitiful, starved faces.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ya they’re real good at those sad faces, aren’t they?! And we fall for it every time…hee hee 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep, call me gullible.
LikeLike
I apologize for bringing this up again. I am not sure it is the dogs? I think the bone needs to be found. Once this is done we will know who is responsible.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We’ll need DNA testing to figure out which bone in the backyard has both dog’s teeth marks!
LikeLike
I think that is a plan. Poor John or the cat better not be involved. LeggyPeggy this has been so much fun!!!!!!!!
LikeLike
It has been lots of fun.
Scout’s mum is back from her travels and Indi has been crying every day because she is missing her partner in crime. Scout and his mum (Caroline) joined us for dinner tonight, and Indi’s crying stopped. All food was kept out of reach of dogs, and all the leftovers have been put away. I learn from my mistakes. 🙂
LikeLike
Too funny!! Did the truth ever “come out,” hehe!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
We probably never will!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think it was Indi, but ya never know! lol You’re dogs are so cute!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Indi is certainly tall enough to have started it, but I’m sure Scout didn’t miss out.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah lol thats funny. They probably worked together to do it!
LikeLike
I bet you are right!
LikeLike
LOL This sounds like the perfect start to a little mystery. You should write a kid’s book or a chapter book about this. Perhaps you must call in a professional…Sherlock Paws!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sherlock Paws, what a clever name. Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! I might have heard it for Snoopy once in one of his many disguises, but I don’t think so. There are some adorable pictures of him in a deerstalker hat online, if you care to look. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh yes, he looks so cute in that hat. Thanks for the reminder.
LikeLike
Stunning Feature image. I now know who the guilty party was, but maybe it was parties!
Tony
http://breadtagsagas.com/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Certainly a joint effort.
LikeLike
You have a Schnauzer???? I have two and am a bit obsessed with them! Wonderful dogs. But there’s the guilty look – you have the culprit!
LikeLiked by 1 person
We’re Schnauzer lovers too. Indi is our second. She is a failed show dog—got too tall for the show-ring, so now she’s a homebody. She had puppies last year and one is becoming a champion. Aggie was our first Schnauzer. He was a rescue and is in the banner above. What a character he was.
By the way, Scout was the real culprit.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They can be so cheeky but so lovable. I have a friend with a schnauzer named Indi as well!! My standard was a rescue and is now 15.5. Love her to bits but she is slowing down now. We have had a mini fir about 1 year. She is an ex show/ breeding girl who is retired now! What a difference there us in temperament between the standards and the minis. They are all individuals but the Minis mantra seems to be, “It’s all about ME” LOL. It is a great photo you have in the banner
LikeLiked by 1 person
We used care for a friend’s standard and mini so the difference in personality and temperament was very obvious. Both great dogs. Hope your girl keeps going strong. We thought Aggie got to about 17. They are a long-lived breed.
LikeLike