Deviled and Cavalier

I don’t remember the first time I tried deviled eggs. It was probably when I was in my early teens. I liked them. What’s not to like? A fluffy mixture, whipped from a hard-boiled egg, mayonnaise, and mustard, is piped into the egg halves. They are yummy. I am not obsessed with them or call them my favorite fare at a party or cookout, but I have partaken of them.

My men, my husband and son, love them. L.O.V.E., the little morsels. I can prepare them any time of year, and they disappear within hours. I make them as a light snack, an addition to a meal, or as munchies during game nights.

One afternoon, I was preparing lunch for the three of us and made a couple of deviled eggs. My son was upstairs, doing whatever it is teens do these days, while my husband was helping me make lunch.

I announced to the gaming troll that lunch was almost ready and set the table. Plates, silverware, and beverages were all placed on the dining table. Then I went to the kitchen. I grabbed the plate of deviled eggs (there were four) and put it at the center of the table. Then I returned to the kitchen to finish making lunch.

Salad was a big deal in our family, so I prepped one, put it in a bowl, and went to set it on the dining room table. What I found when I walked in was nothing short of shocking.

Right in the middle of the mahogany dinner table sat a very mischievous Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Copper, as I named him after the fox in Fox and Hound because of his coloring, was standing there, sucking down deviled eggs.

Copper looked up at me and made an expeditious swan dive from the chair to the floor, scurrying to hide, who knows where. He knew I was not pleased.

My husband came in after hearing me yell at Copper and asked what was going on. I walked over to the eggs, picked up the plate, and told him our dog had left two eggs for him and our son. He laughed, went into the kitchen to get the meal, and called our son, the cave dweller, to lunch.

I would say I was upset, but I really wasn’t. I laughed, and that laugh quickly turned into concern about the safety of the deviled eggs for a dog. The Oracle was consulted, and Copper was cleared to wolf them down as long as the filling contained no sugar. Sugar. Who puts sugar in a deviled egg?

We finally sat down to eat, and the boys had their eggs as the bandit sat at our feet, licking his chops.

From that day forward, I always made sure to push all chairs completely under the table so the thief would not snatch them. If you think he was denied his favorite eggs for the rest of his days, I will tell you, he was not.

Whenever I made the two-bite appetizer, I always made a couple of extra eggs for Copper. I just used less filling in his portion. Trust me on this. They give dogs horrendous gas. Proceed with caution.

I know some of you will snicker at the dog being on the table. He did not usually do that, at least not when we were home. He did get on the table when we weren’t home, though. That is for a different tale.

Sometimes you think about the things pets do that make you upset or laugh. I know I do. I think about that day many times a year. Every time we have a game night, I think about it. I would give up a million deviled eggs if I could still have him.

He’s been gone a few years now, but this little moment always makes me smile and chuckle.

(Published by: Pen With Paper on Medium, June 2026)

#life #family #memories #home #pets #humor #writer