Princess has never seen the paperwork for our house, but she is reasonably certain that her name appears on the mortgage.

She does not simply sit on the furniture. She occupies it. She chooses the best seat, gathers the softest blanket around herself and settles in as though the entire room was designed by a professional decorator who specializes in canine comfort.

The photograph above is a good example.

Princess could have stretched out anywhere on the couch, but that would have been far too ordinary. Instead, she arranged herself across the seat, rested her head against the arm and nestled into the furry blanket until she had created something resembling a luxury dog resort.

Then she fell asleep without the slightest concern that a human being might have intended to sit there.

That confidence is one of the things that makes Princess uniquely Princess. Her name is appropriate, although not because she is especially delicate or refined. She is called Princess because she assumes the world should rearrange itself for her convenience.

She has opinions about where she should sleep, when she should eat and how much attention she should receive. She can somehow take up considerably more space than her body should require. If she is comfortable, everyone else is expected to work around her.

But underneath all of that royal behavior is something much sweeter.

Princess is a rescue, and whatever uncertainty existed during the early part of her life is gone now. She sleeps deeply because she knows she is safe. She stretches across the furniture because she knows she belongs there. She has no concern that someone will make her leave, because this is her home and we are her people.

So yes, Princess may occasionally treat us like household staff.

But watching her sleep so peacefully makes it difficult to complain.

Her Royal Highness is resting, after all.