Our backyard was fenced in except for an open area where a gate should be on one side of our yard. Because Elliot was so small and fluffy and couldn't move quite so fast Tom added some chicken wire across this open area. We also added a few bricks to a few areas where the back fence was a tad too open for a small fluffy puppy, but for the most part Elliot was contained.
That was until this past week. I put Elliot into the backyard because he was whining to get outside to chase squirrels. I put him in the back because I wanted to sweep my living room, a chore I'm unable to do with the dog around as he loves to attack and chase the broom. He was busy chasing squirrels in the backyard, and I was busy sweeping in the front room and all was right with our worlds.
Then I heard Elliot barking and the barking seem to be quite loud for a dog that was in the back of the house. In fact as it continued I thought to myself, "it sounds like that barking is coming from the front yard", and after thinking that same thing twice I looked out the front door to find Elliot in the front yard treeing a squirrel. He had jumped over the chicken wire chasing a squirrel.
I immediately went outside and started sweeping hoping to lure him toward me, but he only glanced at me and continued barking at the treed squirrel. I walked toward him and as I walked around the tree he too walked around the tree...away from me. We both circled the tree twice and then I changed directions and so did he. We circled the tree again. Now I am steaming. I have things to do and chasing the dog was not one of them. I went into the house and returned with a jar of peanut butter. He didn't care. He sniffed the air a bit, but gave me a look that said, "do I look stupid, stupid?"
It wasn't until I scooped out a tad of peanut butter and put it on a leaf on the ground that he came over and allowed himself to be captured. I put the end of the leash onto the dog stake we have out front and left him to finish his peanut butter leaf. He lay contently in the yard until a squirrel ran by him. Elliot jumped up, forgetting he was on a leash, and took off after the squirrel his leash and collar coming off over his head. Once again he treed the squirrel and once again I tried to capture the dog. This time I'm afraid some choice words were shouted quite loudly through the neighborhood. Elliot, enjoying the chasing game, took off running two houses away and into the backyard. As I trudged through my neighbor's yard to get him, cursing up a storm and ruining my NY's resolutions, the dog came tearing around the side of the house and took off running in the opposite direction through the next three neighbors' yards. I went back into the house.
Eventually he returned to the squirrel in the tree and eventually I got him with a piece of lunch meat, but I was as mad as I've ever been and texted his father to let him know how his dog had behaved. Father immediately called laughing as he pictured me running around the tree after the dog. He said it was only because he had been in my shoes, but I wondered.
The new gate is now secure and the puppy is enclosed. I'm thinking of running around to each of the gates during the day acting like a squirrel and receiving some exercise for myself, but right now I'm content to just sit poolside with my paper and coffee and watch the dog chase the squirrels on the back fence. So much for that cute fluffy little ball of fur.
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