Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Lost Dogs

Some people might be surprised to know I have a history of loosing my dogs. But only for short periods of times...

Sheba got lost once or twice. Once when she ran away while off leash. She came back at two in the morning covered in burrs, barking to get let into the yard. Another time she ran out of the front yard, but we chased her down that time. The Duster really came through for us.

Bloom got lost one of the first days in my new apartment. One of the guys I work with was helping me out by bringing my new 'fridge from Lowes in his pickup and I went to meet him outside. Who should I see sniffing a tree but Bloomie. Apparently he could squeeze between the bars on the fence. I put up chicken wire the next day.

Fancy cruised the neighborhood a few times. She was turned into the shelter for escaping. No surprise she could easily jump out of my patio with its four foot brick wall. She was only out there to go potty, but once at night I put her out and fell asleep. I woke up to only one dog in the "yard." I ran around at one am looking for her and found her at the end of the street. The close end. She jumped out of the yard only a few times and never went far, and then became very bonded and had no desire to leave. Unless we are at my parent's house and Mom and Molly go on a walk without her. Then she scales the brick wall taller than I am, or squeezes through the bars that are about 6 inches apart and catches up. You can see a video of that here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dO_xF6zV34 It is the first half.

Which brings me to the real point about Lost Dogs. My dogs get lost in my own home.

Bloom got stuck under the bed once and because he is deaf, couldn't hear me calling. I'm lucky I ever found him. Another time he followed me into the shed, but didn't follow me back out, and I closed him in there.

Fancy ALWAYS follows me into the bathroom, but when I leave, sometimes she is asleep. The door swings closed behind me and now Fancy is stuck in the bathroom.

Bosco actually fit into this pattern quite well because he would nose his way into the bathroom, the door would swing shut behind him, and then he would be stuck in there. I'd call for him, but he wasn't a very noisy dog, so he would quietly wait for me to figure it out and come rescue him.

When this happens to Pie, I usually hear her banging around. In fact, Pie has never been lost. She has no desire to run like Sheba. She isn't an escape artist like Fancy, and she is way too big to follow me somewhere and not be noticed like Bloom.

Unless someone steals her, you will never see Pie on a Lost Dog poster. And if someone did steal her, they would probably name her Red Chief, and I'd get her back right quick.

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