Even the Smallest Adventure is Fraught with Craziness

Are dogs ambivalent or just plain stupid? Zoie is never outside unless she is hooked up to something; and that still doesn’t keep her from breaking through fences, putting Corgis in her mouth, and traipsing down the middle of the road.  She knows the leash or tie out is hooked to her, because it inevitably is wrapped around or under one of her legs.  However, when choosing what route to take, she goes without exception, whatever way will ensure that she gets wrapped around something.  Be it a huge bush, a lawn chair, or the swing set,  she feels it is better to get wrapped around and pull against it than just go the other way.  Does she crave the attention she gets from me calling her an idiot every time she does it or does she just like to test her own strength?

Today, the two dogs were playing in the backyard and Lilly was agitating Zoie. As usual, Zoie lunged at her to take her down.  She knew she was tied up.  She also knew the leash was around her leg.  Yet she ran at full speed until her leg was taken out from under her.  What was her reaction? To get mad at Lilly and replay the whole event over.  It was a nice day out so I wanted them to spend some time outside. But, I wasn’t into this action.

I decided to walk Zoie around the front yard and leave Lilly in the backyard.  Zoie the freight train rarely gets to go in the front yard because simply put, she is bad.  If anyone walks by on our busy street, she goes crazy.  If a dog is being walked, she can literally pull you right off the front steps and down the driveway on your butt before you even know what happened  For a little Saint, she is quite strong.  Any attempts to train her to not be a complete beast in the presence of other dogs has been useless and quite painful.

I opened the gate that separates the backyard from the driveway and Zoie showed her excitement by running through and heading toward the side of the car.  Did she take the unobstructed path? No.  She walked past and around the trash and recycling cans, the leash wrapping around them. Luckily I was able to run forward so there was enough slack in the leash to prevent them from toppling over.  After I unwrapped her and we walked past my car, she swiftly walked into the neighbor’s yard, wrapping herself around a tree.  It would be nice to say that it ended there.  She proceeded to wrap herself around picker bushes, the lamp post, and a no parking sign.  These are literally the ONLY items there are to wrap herself around.  Well, at least she is 5 for 5.

The whole time we were in the front yard, Zoie sees the cars going by down the road.  Does this stop her from wanting to run in the street? Of course not.  I thought she was simply trying unsuccessfully to escape and run down the hill to the main road. But no, she just wanted to stand in the road and watch the cars go by. Better view? I guess so.

Lilly was in the backyard whining and crying the whole time, so I decided to bring the beast inside and bring Lilly to the front yard.  Lilly isn’t one to wrap herself around things, but she did get stuck in the picker bushes separating the yards.  With white froth around her nostrils, she took advantage of the 20 foot leash to dart into the road about 5 times.  However, she WAS trying to escape.  For those of you who are thinking I’m irresponsible for letting her be near the street, there were no cars coming. I’m not stupid.

Lessons learned from the dogs today:  1. Not all dogs take joy in wrapping themselves around everything.  Just Beasts.  2. Dogs are apparently attracted to picker bushes by some electrical field we cannot sense.

---Lin