Sentence:  By now Nora had left my side and was grappling with Maisie, trying to hold her still long enough to examine her bit. “You haven't trained her well,” she muttered to Eli. “Oh, she's got a <WSD>gay</WSD> tail!” Eli laughed. “A <WSD>gay</WSD> tail? What does that mean?” “It curls upward.” Nona let Maisie go. “Still, you never intended her to be a show dog,” she added. brushing off her skirt as she made for the house. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Upright or curved over the back.