Naughty Dog

Cooper had an exciting weekend. I got a call from strange number on Saturday just as I was pulling out of work, it was some woman I've never met calling to tell me that Cooper was in her backyard! Oh shit, where's Marshall?

The latch on our fence had broken. I bought a new one and it was sitting on the kitchen table to remind Joseph to go put it on. Without the latch we had resorted to putting the grill in front of the gate to prevent it from opening. Not surprising that Cooper wasn't fooled by that. After all, this is the dog who jumped out a moving jeep window in the dog park parking lot, rolled down the same jeep window (not automatic, the rolly kind) and jumped out in an Albertson's parking lot, jumped over a six foot patio wall to follow me, snuck out of my condo screen door a million times to go hang out with the neighbors (and once that I know of to the pond to swim) and so on and so on...

I drove fast all the way home and was relieved to see little black Marshall sitting front and center on our porch when I pulled around the corner. Good dog. I put him in the house and drove to the house where Cooper was, about half a mile away on our normal walk/run route. Cooper was happy to see me when I got to the huge ass house where he was running around contentedly with the two frilliest looking blond cocker spaniels I've ever seen. The lady told me where they had found him and I thought she was mistaken. I had assumed they had found him near our house, or at least on our street! Nope, he had apparently felt like he was due for a walk, so he went for a walk! He was half way around the 2 mile loop that I take with them every day. She said he was just walking along when they came upon him, he turned around and walked with them to their house. They brought him in, fed him dinner and waited for me to get there. First, what nice people. Second, what a naughty dog?!? Thank goodness he's such a sweet dog, or I'd have a real problem. I can't have him getting out though, it's too dangerous out here. Rednecks in Texas shoot dogs in their yards.

Joseph put the latch on when he woke up on Sunday. But not before I caught Cooper sneaking out one last time that morning. Seriously! I put them out when I got up and then got ready for a run. It had only been about 20 minutes when I headed out in the yard to get them. I found Marshall but no Cooper. I ran into the front yard and called his name. I went around to the side of the house to just catch the back of him hauling ass around the corner of the fence, way down by the road. He was going to run around, sneak in the gate and pretend he had never left. I got him to come back to me and I did my best to make it known that he'd misbehaved. I pointed my finger and said his name as mean as I could and he laid on his back at my feet. I said no no no, you don't leave the yard. Then I took him inside, put his leash on and went for a run. My "punishment" was most likely, very unsuccessful and will in no way deter his out-of-yard adventures. Cesar Milan would tell me it's my own fault.