Wednesdays are for Wandering

Oh Dodger. So good for a whole week. Sleepy from long walks, solid playing on rainy days and then a day of stressing out his humans. On Sunday, a two hour run off leash followed up with a good walk even seemed to tire him out.

As for the escapes, tightening the screen door helped quite a bit and the gate does slow him down a tad. He can jump it, but we can hear him jump it. Plus, it is another opportunity for indoor exercise. :-P

Tuesday was very rainy and his laziness slept for 9 hours. Reassuring to know that he doesn't *need* to go out for a pee, should I be out for the day. We played hard with him in the evening, as did Pablo. Good wrestles and leaps around the living room.

Wednesday, after his daily long morning nap, I walked Dodger down to meet the kidlets after school. This dog *loves* the schoolyard. His butt starts to wiggle when we're in sight of the playground. Posing as the most perfect dog of all time, he sits on the sidewalk lapping up love from the children. If he's lucky, some of his favourite dogs will be there for mutual a*s sniffing. Then a brisk walk home, usually with one of the 'his' kids running with him through the woodland trails. It's a dog's life.

Squirrels with attitude are a problem in a dog's life. Kidlet 2 was yanked into a muddy creek while Dodger was pursuing a squirrel. While she indignantly brushed herself off and asked me what to do next time it happened [he's usually an angel on the leash] Dodger yanked his leash right out of her hand as he chased the offending squirrel up the tree. Then he scampered down the ravine, leaping up *every* tree. *sigh*

The kidlets were sent home to change etc, while I tried to find the escapee. From the barking of neighborhood dogs, I could track him for a bit but there was no catching the wretch. Since he was dragging a long leash through brush, I couldn't just leave him to his own devices. Headed home to check on the kids. Found a message from a sweet little old lady. Within 15 minutes of his squirrel chase, he had been found tangled up in a tree. Boy, was he happy to see me! Somehow he had gotten soaked and was an excited, whiny, shivery wretch. Of course he had charmed all of the occupants of a seniors' residence in the ten minute visit.

Home again for a nap. Then, out the door when Kidlet 1 went out to a friend's at 5:30. Stealthy like. We didn't know he was gone until his faithful jingle was silent when one cat or another went out. Treating our subdivision like his own yard, as per usual, he swept around the house around 6:30, treeing Fortuna as he went.

When it started to rain at 7, we thought he would be back. He *hates* the rain. He won't even go out to pee if it's raining hard. Just as it was getting dark, the phone rang. Mr. Dodger was visiting his friend Emma on the other side of town. One of Emma's kid's saw him going through the yard and called him in.

I arrived to find him hangin' with Emma, after eating up her supper and any stray kibble he could find. He was black with muck and very, very wet. Very happy to see me, desperate to get in the car and home again. Suck up.
Even with the cross town jaunt, the only really shocking part of this incident is that he *came* when called. Granted, he loves the kid who called him in, but he must have been eager to get out of the rain.

Are there web cams or gps trackers we could put on his collar?

This dog belongs on a farm.

Dodger was not meant for town life. In a town, running away through other people's yards, streets, drives and parks ALL NIGHT is not considered acceptable behaviour. Well, some of the university students try, but they usually wear out by dawn.

Dodge may have been worn out. We were still hearing him make the occasional pass around the house at midnight. At 7 a.m. the phone rang, announcing that His Canine Majesty was resting on the deck of a neighbour.

Now he's grumpy, grouchy, stiff and slow. Looking at me like it's *MY* fault that he ran his middle aged self ragged all night. Doesn't help his mood that a snotty kitten keeps trying to snuggle him.

How did he get out? Following one of the kidlets, who was attempting to catch said snotty kitten, through the poorly latched screen door. The screen door has been adjusted, again, and a baby gate added to the obstacle course of an entryway. It *might* slow him down.

Dodger's grand escapade coincided with Threepio's stay at the vet for a badly injured paw. Yes, the cat with only three paws to begin with managed to snare a rear leg in wire in the scant hour I was away from home yesterday. Several hundred dollars and a scarred vet later, he sports a snazzy blue cast and an impatient What-Do-You-Mean-I-Can't-Go-Out-For-Three-Days???? expression on his furry, fat snout.

No sleep and a sizable vet bill. Good thing I love the furry bastards.