Gem Gem is a drama queen. Not the usual kind. A dog's life includes myriad dramas of eating, sleeping, playing, walking, peeing, pooping, and interacting with others of the species. At first, our otherwise gentle Gem Gem would bare her teeth, bark, and chase other dogs down. Over time, with my firm admonishments, she's taken on a more subtle approach. We might say "passive aggressive," but in the ...dog world it's brutally direct. Though we observe the relation between dogs' obsessive smelling and elimination, we rarely see virtuoso performances on their terms. After six months of aggression toward three neighborhood dogs, she's changed her tactics; they're fixed in her sights: the white yard rat behind the fence; the shrill lanky guy that beats down the plate glass window from inside; the enormous German Shepherd whose baritone bark is heard 'round the world. Rather than pee and poop by smell anywhere convenient, Gem Gem targets her nemeses; she passes, they bark, she crouches, and pees or poops directly in front of them. It's a triumphal performance; she then turns and prances away.