The muddy paw print records enthusiasm without understanding the cleaning afterward.

An animal’s joy comes without any model of consequence. The dog that runs through the field and then through the hall has no idea that a floor exists as a thing to be kept, and there is nothing to be gained by explaining it. What you get is uncomplicated delight and a mess, and the two arrive as a single event rather than as a choice between them. Living with anything alive means accepting that pairing.

When the print appears, see what it is a record of before you reach for the cloth. The cleaning takes five minutes; the annoyance can take the whole evening if you let it.