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July 28, 2007
Dog-Fathering
It occurs to me that it's been some time since I'm posted a tale about the adventures of myself and my four-legged friend. In fact, I hadn't written anything at all about the last few months of back and forth between myself and my dog.
Julius learned how to open doors. Literally. With the handle.
He likes to bark at things he hears in the hall, and the last thing I need is for him to be barking at people all day and piss off my neighbors. So I was keeping him in the bathroom (a large bathroom mind you) while I was at work during the day. But he figured out how to open the bathroom door. I chalked it up to a jump and push since the door swung outward. So I decided he could graduate to staying in the bedroom all day with the blinds drawn so he could look out. The door swung inward so surely he wouldn't get out. To this day I'm still not sure how he did it, but he learned how to open the door that swung inward.
And then he started unlocking the dead bolt on the front door. I am NOT joking. Now granted, pulling the handle to open the front door disengages the dead bolt, and the door is still locked - but this was obviously a problem. So I went to Lowes, borrowed a drill, and installed a hook & eye on the door. Problem solved, right?
Well it was until a bad thunderstorm. Julius...does not like thunderstorms. I'm trying to think of an analogy - Julius:Thunderstorms::Ayn Rand:Other People. There, that ought to make it blatantly obvious how much Julius dislikes thunderstorms.
Julius couldn't get out of the bedroom via the usual method of opening the door, due to my ingenious lock mechanism. So he decided if he couldn't go through the door, he'd try to go under it. By digging. Through the carpet.
I came how to carpet and padding everywhere in the bedroom and a relieved dog ("Thank G-d the thunderstorm didn't get you!"*) I cleaned it up and didn't fault him for his actions - he is after all a dog.
Well, I guess we've decided that dig the carpet is a fun game because this activity has since been repeated. Unfortunately, I have been forced to put him back into the bathroom during the day (with another hook & eye on that door) rather than allow him to tear up my carpet. My parents and I have been referring to this as "Doggy Jail".
*- I spelled it G-d because as I'm sure you've probably figured out, much like his predecessor Phred, Julius is a lantzman. Err....lantzdog.
Posted by MikeSager at July 28, 2007 10:34 AM
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Comments
Too bad you didn't crate train your dog....It would have solved the problem. But doggy day care is a great alternative for working folks....
I crate trained mine as a puppy....so he thinks of it as his "den." But then after "teaching" my pack to like crates the doors are usually kept open. They are very lucky dogs and don't have to be left alone all day b/c we have never had to leave them alone for 8 hour work days elsewhere.
Buzz...Buzz...
Posted by: mosquito at July 28, 2007 6:12 PM
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