Bone? Bone? Who's got the bone?

When I drive up to the mountains for the horses, I always stop by the local feed store. They carry dog bones (the rawhide ones) and I like to pick up a couple. Our German Shepherd isn't too interested in them (he's MUCH too regal for that!), but Ripley and Atticus, the Weimeraner, love them and it keeps them from pouncing on the cats for a few minutes! But Saturday I bought 3. One for each dog, right? WRONG! I gave one bone to each dog (they were eagerly wagging their tails) and off they went and off I went to konk out on the couch! When I woke up, Ripley had chewed HER bone in half AND had a whole bone! Yup. She managed to get Rommel's bone away from him AND keep her two halves! HUH? Apparently all this happened while I was asleep. Atticus was barely able to keep his, but our German Shepherd had the saddest look on his face! It's a game they play...."Who can keep the bone?" or something like that. I think it is a game of who is the most devious and we ALL know who that is....RIPLEY! So, when hubby got home and Ripley and Atticus went outside to do their business, our German Shepherd quietly walked over to the whole bone and took it down the hallway. Of course, when Ripley came in, she quietly surveyed the scene and realized that 1 bone was missing! She sat down and guarded her remaining two halves and konked out, totally tired! I guess guarding 3 bones was too much for her! Meanwhile, our German Shepherd happily munched on the whole bone for an hour. He really doesn't crunch it like Ripley and Atticus...he tends to just slobber on it. But he was SO HAPPY! We locked him in the bedroom with his bone so that he wouldn't be disturbed. NOT! About two hours later, Ripley snuck in and stole it! By then it was bedtime, and since Rommel sleeps in our bedroom with us, he was out his bone for the night. This morning Ripley had chewed it in half and was jealously guarding it. Right now she's curled up on the rug outside the bedroom door (we have a baby gate at the door to keep THE MONSTER out of our bedroom) and she's chewing it right in front of our German Shepherd! LITTLE MONSTER! She won this round. Round two next weekend. Ahhhh..... peace at last!