Our Maltese, Gucci, and the grandkids

Gucci is a five-year-old Maltese, white as a cloud and convinced she is the queen of our apartment in Chatuchak. When my grandchildren visit on Sundays, she puts up with a lot of hugs, but only on her terms.

Last month my eight-year-old grandson tried to teach her to fetch a plastic duck. Gucci brought it back once, out of pure politeness, then carried it off under the sofa and refused to give it back for an hour. We all laughed until my knees hurt.

Now the children have learned to ask first. They sit on the floor, offer a biscuit, and wait. Gucci sometimes takes it, sometimes walks away with her tail high. Either way, nobody cries anymore.