It happened again. My dog, the little pitbull-mix, escaped. Again.
Joey, aka “Dogdini”, has discovered more secret passageways out of our yard than I can count. Each time he vanishes—after an exhaustive search—we plug the escape route, only to have him uncover a new one the next day. Sometimes, later in the same day.
I’ve tried using an Elizabethan collar. You know the ones…they’re meant to keep a dog from pulling out stiches. Ours is a giant purple cone that the other dogs, rightly, made fun of. That solution worked for a while. Until Joey discovered he could bang the collar against the fence until it popped off.
I’ve tried filling the holes with firewood. But to my amazement, this little forty-nine pound dog has moved piles of firewood to uncover his handiwork and out he goes again. I’m not convinced Indiana Jones, the mastiff isn’t moving the wood for him in some sort of, Of Mice and Men relationship, but I may never know for sure.
And if you’re saying to yourself…this is easy, just watch him carefully when he goes outside…I’ve tried that too. I have no idea how he does it, but he’s managed to escape even under my watchful eye. I’ve come to the conclusion, after much deliberation, that Joey is magical. There’s just no other explanation that fits.
Even the other dogs get it. They watch him too. And they marvel at his ability to be there one moment and gone the next.
So what does a person do when man’s best friend has a penchant for vanishing into thin air?
If you ask me, it’s time for a little “Joe”Jack. You know…like LoJack, the hidden transmitter that helps police locate your stolen car. I need to have a transmitter inserted somewhere in Joey, like the locator chip he already has, but one that will send out a beacon for me to track him down. Driving around in the car for hours asking everyone if they’ve seen a little dog is getting old. Especially when Joey seems to elude capture until he’s good and ready.
For now, we’re just on emergency alert…watching Joey like a hawk when he goes out. And combing the nearby neighborhoods on foot when he manages to escape.
I’m going to put the website up next…www.IfoundJoey.com…so we can at least have a game of it when he’s lost. Sort of like an interactive, Where’s Waldo, in doggy form. I’m basically out of new ideas. My creativity is spent.
Any ideas?
Until the next time…I’ll be finishing Daywalkers week 12. Have you been bitten yet?