On a Lighter Note

On a lighter note... Category: Pets and Animals
Jolene vs. the Stairs. All of them can go down the concrete steps in the front, where I don't want them to go down. And all of them are scared of the wooden stairs in the back where I do want them to go down because you can see through them. Once they get over the fear, they're fine, but we usually have to sit down and work with them till they're comfortable.
Jolene was no exception. She would stand at the top of the steps upset at not being able to play with the big dogs and join in all the fun until I went to get her. One day while playing in the kitchen, the pack collectively barked and ran outside. She didn't even realize she was following them as she ran past me and flew down the steps with effortless ease. I was shocked!! I was so proud of her that I sent a note to her breeders.
So of course, the very next day she remembered she was scared of the stairs and wouldn't go down them again. I waited about a week, then took one day on the weekend and worked her down them, step by step. She tentatively followed me, getting a little more brave with each up and down. Now she's a champ and you can see her strut her stuff on the ground, showing off in front of the puppies still scared at the top of the stairs. Our little girl is growing up.
Cooter vs. the crate. As many of you know, we were going to wait to breed little Ellie Mae. But when she was around a year old, safely tucked away in her crate, I let Cooter out into the same room to keep him away from the oven fumes as I was cleaning. Everything was going well and I ran an errand while the oven was soaking. When I came back, Tony said that while he was getting ready to leave, he came back into the living room to find them hooked. Somehow or another, Cooter had found a way to open the crate and spring Ellie Mae free.
The next night I let him into the living room to see him in action. He systematically walked around the crate, grabbing each wire to find the one that magically released his woman. I couldn't believe my eyes. When he got close to the correct one, I scooped him up and took him back to the other room. He KNEW one of them would open it.
Fast forward a couple of months. The other night Tony was away on a business trip and Cooter had been getting under my skin for whatever reason. So I needed a break and a good night's sleep. I put him in the crate overnight and the next morning he started whining when he heard my alarm go off. Of course, I hit snooze and tried to go back to sleep and here came Cooter, jumping up on the bed. The stinker has figured out how to open it from INSIDE the crate now. UGH!!
Maybe I should skip the whole crating idea and find a belly band with a padlock on it for when the girls come into heat.