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The other day I had occasion to use an arcane and archaic adjective during a verbal confrontation with that excessively independent dog you see over there. She was being characteristically insolent and uncooperative and deserved my rebuke.
I called her a contumacious canine.
Now I don’t know how that barb popped into my mind. I don’t know that I’ve ever used it -- if I have it was decades ago. It’s a dandy blast that means roughly “willfully and stubbornly disobedient to authority.”
I may have misused it, however, since there is much disagreement in our household as to whether we taxpaying providers are entitled to consider ourselves authorities or if Her Lowness runs the place.
I’ll make the argument here and let you readers decide if we people or that Cavalier King Charles Spaniel presides.
Rigby came from a litter of four in 2017. We picked her up at a breeder’s near The Cities which may begin to explain her superiority complex. Once at the cabin she began asserting her dominance by charming guests while untying their shoes. In town she has a regular route that begins on Chapman Street with a stop at The Ely Echo to visit Nick who provides a treat. Next stop is to see her friends at State Farm after which she yanks the leash and crosses to Ace Hardware where she makes two square right turns to demand a treat behind the counter. Without saying “thank you” to Misty (Rigby leaves that courtesy for us to complete) she crosses the avenue and turns into Wells Fargo. After a few tricks and treats she leads us back to her truck smug and secure in her understanding that she’s pretty special.
All we do is feed, house, bathe, treat, walk and take her to visit Chip at the Ely Vet Clinic periodically. Oh, and play games like tug-of-war and fetch with her. That’s all.
So why should I expect her to come when called?
Yet I do and that brings us back to my accusation of her disobedience. I spoke it in standard English and her breed is decidedly English, so she had to understand. And I spoke it loudly enough to push through whatever barrier exists between American and British English. Yet, no appropriate response -- only willful indifference from the little squirt.
I doubt if at my age I can expect to need the word “contumacious” again. And Rigby will continue to smirk as long as she can.
The day will come when Rigby must leave us. I will cry inconsolably.
