Cavanaugh is a Bernese Mountain dog that will do anything he can to protect his family from any threats… sorry… any treats.
It’s been four years since the battle and, frankly, we’re still not sure who came out victorious since both sides appear to have claimed victory. Or at least neither conceded defeat.
Cavanaugh is a big, fluffy, lovable dog that looked as cute as an adult as he did as a puppy.
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As a puppy, he also had no idea what a lemon was. That was his first error.
Dogs can’t ask what things are, and he just assumed that the citrus on the floor was a serious threat that needed to be eliminated.
Puppies don’t have a lot of attack options besides their cuteness. Despite that, he tried to use what he had at his disposal and nipped, barked, pawed, and jumped at the evil fruit.
Meanwhile, the lemon had only one meager but effective play – to sit there and be a lemon.
Now, we can all picture a young one being given a lemon for the first time (and if you can’t, there are plenty of YouTube videos to help your imagination along).
Watching babies eating lemons for the first time is an incredible way to spend a lunch break, but for the babies, it’s probably an experience they will never forget.
And while lemons are wonderful in all sorts of ways once you’re a grown-up (think Limoncello or even a whiskey sour), dogs really have no use for them at any age.
Cavanaugh first sniffed at the lemon, learning all about his enemy.
The only well to tell if something is food or enemy is to sniff it, right? That’s exactly what he did.
He soon makes a mistake, however.
The pup doesn’t take even a moment to process the scent before moving on to step two – giving is a tiny nip. He risks it all on a blitz attack – and it doesn’t pan out.
The lemon struck back with a massive attack… on his tastebuds. Cavanaugh crumpled.
But this is war – and neither side gives up so easily.
Well, to be fair, the lemon has no choice. But Cavanaugh didn’t come into this battle looking to lose. For all he knows, the safety of everyone around him (even those giggling behind the camera) could be at stake.
The brave pup goes into the fray once more.
He gives it another brave nip to see if he can fool his enemy into thinking the tartness is no big deal. Then he tries to bring in the big weapons – mom and dad.
Looking for help, his comrades have left him to his own devices.
With a fierce attack, he dives in headlong.
He’s clearly studied the art of war because, like Diomedes in the Iliad or the soldiers whose “Barritus“ was so dramatically described by the great Roman historian Tacitus, Cavanaugh lets out a fierce battle cry.
Everything after that is a blur of motion and aggression on the puppy’s part.
With a flurry of attacks, the pup attacks, retreats, rallies, and fights on the Lemon Front.
The full-scale assault continues for seconds. Alas, the lemon remains…a lemon.
Like a film that fades to darkness and forces us to imagine our own ending, our last image is of Cavanaugh standing over the lemon.
But that’s not all.
While we’d like to leave it at that, but in the grand American tradition of ruining everything with a sequel – there is a part 2 of Cavanaugh’s war story.
The lemon was OFFERED from dad. This was a twist. A lemon twist.
What a way to ruin the backstory.
Even though we know that it was an inside job, we still acknowledge the shaky truce that the pup came to with the lemon – a parley of sorts.
Be sure to scroll down below to watch the epic battle scene.
And if you’d like to follow the pup on Instagram, he can be found at @cavanaugh.the.berner.
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