Start off by visualizing the following scene: a normal hotel room with a double bed. The TV is on, showing a football game between Finland and Czech, with Finland losing two to nil. Remove all humans from the scene and insert two young Flat-coated Retrievers (energetic and mischievous is a part of the definition) and an older Golden Retriever. The young Flat-coats look bored, wondering what to do while the old fellow rests his weary bones.

Now shift you view to a cafe in the hotel lobby. Insert standard, apparently soothing, background music. Focus on a young couple enjoying some coffee and each others company at one of the tables.

Return back to the hotel room. The older one of the Flat-coats gets an idea: let’s go looking for our owners. After all, a cup of coffee (it must be good!) sounds like a plan at this hour. Or maybe they can find some food. Visualize in your mind a couple of experimental jumps against the door.

Now move your view to the hallway right outside the room with the dogs. Watch the door explode open, followed by a speeding black bundle of energy. See a Flat-coated puppy hesitate for just a second until it sprints after its older brother. Now watch the Golden rise and take on a look of pure innocence when it runs after the other two. Listen to the rumble that three running dogs create when running down a hotel hallway as it fades away behind a corner.

Let a few minutes pass while the gang roams the hallways, occasionally stopping to sniff an interesting sent or two. Now focus on a room along the same hallway as the room from which the dogs exploded from. Watch her carrying her bags into her room, tilting her head while listening to the oncoming rumble. As the two black Flat-coats round a corner and rush past her, she lets out an experienced ‘Stop!’ Allowing for twenty or so meters of braking distance, the dogs stop and come to the lady with tails wagging. The ringleader is put into the bathroom of the room from which they all came with a self-satisfied expression on his face.

Uncertain of where the other dogs came from, the lady takes them to her room. Finally, she calls the reception and tells them of the runaways and which room at least one came from.

Now go back to the cafe, where the young couple is getting ready to head back to their room. Watch the man begin to dig his mobile phone which is now ringing. He answers and a look of disbelief and worry enters his face. His pace quickens as they head to the elevator.

They enter their room finding only one of the dogs. The woman starts scanning the hallways while the man calls the reception again, getting the location of the other two. When they get to the room with the nice lady, the youngest and oldest of the pack are overjoyed. A story ensues, with the lady telling them what she knows.

Now back in their room, the young couple and their dogs get to relax. The chain is securely on the door to prevent any other escapades during the night. The old Golden Retriever lies down with a satisfied, but oh so innocent, look on his face. The Flat-coats just look smug. The two brothers have just started to figure out what fun they can cause together…

Picture the following scenario: You wake up too early on a saturday with the help of an alarm clock so that you might be tired enough to go to bed earlier so that you can wake up at an ungodly hour on sunday so that you can drive to a dog show.

Then picture the dogs, who usually follow you into the kitchen, suddenly overjoyed by the fact that they might be getting food soon, just lying about, looking at you like you’d lost your mind. And the cockatoo, who normally greets you with a good morning, initially looking at with wonder clearly written in his look, later starting to tell you to go to sleep, good night. And all you’d want to do is follow the birds advice.