It went sideways when the dog lunged forward to lick the cat. Charlie ricocheted off the loveseat, bounded into the kitchen, and somehow wedged himself between the glass and the blinds at the top of the window. When Moose followed, the cat lost his purchase and fell into his water bowl, bounced onto the breakfast table, ponged to the top of the freezer and ended up frozen on top of the cabinets above the kitchen sink, back arched in a long, low growl.

I’m pretty sure Dogoberto Diego de la...