Funny Girl

My Sassy Schnauzer is turning into a funny girl. There are probably lots of contributing factors to the personality differences I have noticed since she became "sick" with this terminal issue. Actually she seems to be holding her own in most ways. But she loves this getting special attention and being carried because she can't negoitate steps (so I thought) as well as she could when both forelegs worked well. She has always been a laid back girl, ( easy to manage), in contrast to her younger sister who is a trip in and of itself!
Nowadays Sassy will bark at me if she is hungry and has not been fed. Another of her funny games is to run from me if I try to pick her up sometimes. So......I never know when she is in pain, tired and needs assistance, or whatever when she decides to act "silly." When she does the barking thing if I talk to her about "whatever" she turns her head from side to side and barks to answer me. It is hilarious!
She waits for me to carry her over places in the home where she can not get a good grip --- usually. Sometimes she just takes off running and gets over the area. Lately when I leave the house and come back I find that she has gone upstairs all alone with no help. So one day I just waited to see if she would / could come down without my assistance. She did and could !
When they go outside in the dark she takes her good ole time wandering the yard and checking for spies and the Taliban. Sometimes she just stretches out on the brick patio until I retrieve her. I would just leave her if it wasn't dark just to see when she might decide to come up the steps onto the deck.
What is going on here? Is she really smarter than I? Is she playing me for a _ _ _ _??? Or does she just genuinely feel better on some days than others???
I am familiar with the S word and I think she is a whole lot of that as well!