When Frankie was a very tiny puppy, she quickly figured out how to take herself off on adventures. In the beginning, we were slightly baffled as to how she was doing it- the height from the veranda to the ground is very high- but then we discovered she would abseil.
Supported by the dense foliage, she would squeeze her way through the wooden rails and allow the leaves and branches to support her as she scrambled her way down.
Having secured the area, things were quiet for a time. That is, until they weren’t.
At first, I blamed my husband for letting the dogs out at inconvenient times. Then, he blamed me. Then, we blamed the kids. Until we realized that together, the big dog person body of a German Shepherd and the little but big thinking dog person body of a Border Terrier, could collapse a weaker part of the fence and find their way out.
Yesterday, G had been out and just come home, and I had been teaching a workshop, and he came in just as I wrapped up. He was holding our smallest Dog Person.
If they were feeling guilty, there was nothing to show for it.
“I found her at the top of the driveway,” he tut-tutted.
I made the sound of shock.
“She was sitting in the orchard eating the apples”.
I’m afraid I can’t escape the vision: My Apple Eating Person Dog is today’s Small Happiness.
xx Jane
PS. For those wondering they are “locked up” on the deck for approximately 2-3 minutes per day, which Frankie finds quite inhumane. She also likes watermelon. Basically, anything edible and quite a lot not. The weak part of the fence has been restored.