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feed.” In other words, treat dogs like dogs; and dogs, especially working dogs, belong outside.
    But Bridget and Sophie had their ways of getting around this, right from the get-go, and Bridget used to sneak Sophie inside and sit the dog on her lap while she watched reruns of
Sex and the City
. Bridget’s logic was impeccable: Sophie wasn’t sitting on the couch, she was sitting on Bridget! Jan and Dave were also aware that when it came to bedtime, instead of putting Sophie outside as she was supposed to, Bridget would tiptoe past their bedroom with Sophie in her arms and the two would fall asleep together, Sophie at the end of Bridget’sbed, keeping her toes cozy. Jan and Dave had a hard time protesting against the pair’s obvious delight in each other’s company, but their behavior certainly raised a few eyebrows amongst the older siblings.
    Ellen observed that the Griffith family’s attitudes had changed since Sophie had arrived. When she came for a visit from Brisbane, she noticed all sorts of old rules being broken. “I was constantly amazed at how far Bridget and Sophie were pushing things,” she says. “There was the fact that Bridget would carry her like a baby, and that Sophie gradually worked her way from the door step, to inside the door, to the living room . . . Jordy used to get in trouble for even sitting on the door step.”
    In their downtime, when Bridget wasn’t whizzing from basketball to birthday parties, the pair of them would sit for hours on the front steps. It was Bridget’s favorite place to sit and think, or not think. Sophie always joined her, lying at Bridget’s feet or tucked up beside her, the two of them looking down the steps as the sun shone into the side yard, Bridget considering her future and Sophie just living in the present, relishing the company.
    Not everyone was such a complete pushover though. When Luke was back for a few days, and if Bridget was not around, Sophie got a taste of the Luke Griffith school of dog care. The second youngest Griffith stayed downstairs in the movie room—from there he would plan his raids on Sophie’s increasingly privileged position upstairs.
    â€œI’d try to rattle her up to see if she had any mongrel in her,” he says. “And she did, she got all dingo.” Sophie would run around as Luke chased her. She’d get slinky, body low to the ground, and sneak around the cars parked in the carport. Then the pair would spend hours with Luke throwing the ball for her and Sophie retrieving it as the stars came out. Luke would steal a can of Dave’s Fosters from the fridge and have a nightcap before bed. He would often drift off to sleep in the driveway, patting Sophie. “I’d wake up to her licking my face, reminding me to go to bed.”
    The truth was that not even Luke, Jordy’s biggest fan, was immune to Sophie’s charms. “She’s a bit of a top dog, she’s got attitude,” Luke says of Sophie, remembering times at the beach when she was too busy chasing other dogs to heed his first few calls.
    Luke took Sophie with him on his first date with his girlfriend, Heather. Luke was keen that Sophie came along with them to the beach. “I thought it would be good to have her there, just in case I needed an out,” he admits, recalling that he figured he could always pretend that his dog was out of control and needed to be removed from the scene. But Sophie’s services as a distraction were not required, which was good, because she behaved perfectly delightfully. She chased a few other dogs and waded into the shallow waves for a dip, as always, but ultimately she charmed Heather as much as Luke did.
    While Luke softened to Sophie’s many charms, he still has a tougher analysis of Sophie’s personality thandoes his younger sister. He can’t deny his admiration for her grace and enthusiasm, her loyalty and charm, but also says that