A "Dog Gone" Morning

Johnny was out of town Friday and Saturday which meant that I had "doggie duty." That may not sound like such a big deal, but we have 4 70+ pound dogs who stay outside and are wonderful except first thing in the morning when they're hungry and really excited to see us. Thus, I knew to approach the dog pen with caution so as not to get trampled by their excited jumping. Some of you have heard our woeful tales of Starsky, the smartest, dumbest dog ever to live on the planet. This is one of those tales.

Starsky is a German Shepherd mix...we think he is mixed with chow, but we're not sure. Regardless, he is incredibly smart, very loyal, and always on the alert. Starsky has just one small issue...well, it's actually a big issue. He jumps the fence. We are blessed to live on a lot that is a little over an acre with about 3/4 if it fenced in. This is heaven for four dogs. There is grass and there are trees and just plenty of wonderful space for dogs to run and fetch and play. Of course, that's not good enough for Starksky. Every time we let him out of the "dog yard" (about 50x60 square feet of space fenced in with 6' chain link) into the "big yard" (fenced in with 4' chain link) he bolts. He runs and runs and runs and then he finds a weak spot in the stronghold and he's gone. Thus, Starsky spends most of the time in the ample dog yard. 

On Saturday morning, I got up at around 6:00 because I had to be at school for UIL at 7:30 and I knew I wanted to feed the dogs before I got dressed and they could dirty up my clothes. I took my shower, put on my make up, and carefully curled my hair with a curling iron, leaving the medusa-like curls intact so I could shake them out later. I put on my undergarments and bathrobe and headed outside...after all, if you can't wear your bathrobe in your own country backyard, then when can you wear it? I approached the dog yard, made all 4 dogs sit down, and then opened the gate and grabbed Starsky by the collar so he could come into the garage to eat. As we were walking to the garage, he was very excited at the prospect of eating and being out of the dog yard. He got so excited that he jerked away from me and he was off!!!

He and the other three dogs sprinted three circles around the big yard immediately and I figured would come right back in since it was meal time. Of course, Starsky had other plans. On his final lap, he bolted for the left side of our fence which borders 3 other neighbors' yards. One neighbor in particular has 2 dogs of his own which he keeps in the house overnight but allows outside during the day. Starsky isn't particularly fond of these two and takes every opportunity to bark at them or mark that portion of the fence. Today, thank God, the neighbor dogs weren't out yet. However, Starsky did seize the opportunity to jump the low spot on that section of the fence to mark the trees IN their yard! 

Imagine this sight. A 6 1/2 month pregnant woman with full makeup and medusa curls in her bathrobe and underwear standing in the woods next to a fence hollering at a German Shepherd who is lazily going from tree to tree to mark the territory at 7:00 in the morning...sounds funny, doesn't it? It wasn't. After about 10 minutes of yelling, I finally SCREAMED Starsky's name, my desperation building as the clock ticked and I became more and more fearful that he would jump their fence and be gone for good. He must have sensed the desperation in my voice, because he finally acknowledged me with a look. As soon as I had his attention I turned on my "powerful voice" (haha) and told him to "load up" which is his command to get back in his pen. To my astonishment, he came right to me! I praised him and in my sweet voice begged him to come back into the yard. "You can do it Starsky...you can be a good boy for Momma." Pathetic.

The dog actually looked me in the eye as if to say, "okay, Mom, what now?" He tried to jump back over the fence but couldn't because that spot was too high. "It's okay, boy," I encouraged, "we'll find where you went over." We paced the fence, together might I add, and finally came to the dip in the railing where he had originally jumped over. We were both so excited. He immediately put his paws on the rail and started to pull himself over. He looked at me several times, "help me, Momma, I'm trying so hard." I pulled back a small shrub which was blocking his way and finally, miraculously, he was over and in our yard. Before I could grab him, though, he was running again!

I yelled at him, "Load up, Starsky. That's a good boy," and he went immediately into the dog yard, hopped up on the deck, and sat there waiting for me. I wanted so much to be furious at him, to scold him and yell at him and call him a bad dog, but I just couldn't. I felt like he understood that I was desperate, that I needed his help that morning and when he realized this it was all he could do to help me. As soon as I got to him in the dog yard, I just hugged him and cried...yes, I cried (I'm pregnant...cut me some slack) and told him I loved him and what a good boy he was. He smiled, tongue hanging out, tail wagging, so happy to make me happy. He jumped down, got some water, and went about his business eating his breakfast. 

I have never felt more connected to any of our dogs before. Yes, they listen for the most part, but I don't always think they understand (can dogs understand? is that sparking a great debate?). I am certain that Starsky understood that I needed his help that morning. No matter how frustrating he can be at times, he loves us, and we love him, and that's all that counts.