Run Free Little Doggies, Run Free

We love our dogs Ceasar and Cleo. You could say that they pretty much run the whole house. We even cut a hole in the side of our house for a doggie door so they could have free reign to come and go as they pleased. However, for the past several months we have been closing the doggie door and leaving them cooped up inside whenever we left the house. Why would we leave these precious creatures in the house all day, unable to roam free and enjoy the great outdoors? Simple. Cleo is Houdini dog. Somehow she was getting out of the fenced yard and we could not figure out how. And why would she want to leave to confines of her spoiled, cushy existence? One word. Thunderstorms.

You see, it all stems back to when Ceasar had the unfortunate luck of being struck by lightening. Bless his heart it was scary, but the big bucket of love pulled through. It is a true miracle he is still with us and we don't think he remembers a thing. Cleo on the other hand, was out in the backyard with him, witnessed everything and remembers it well. I think it is safe to say she was tramatized by the whole thing. Her fear of thunderstorms has gotten worse over the years. When we have a thunderstorm she starts to pant heavily and tries her best to get as close to you as she possibly can. And this summer, whenever a thunderstorm would pop up and we were not home, Cleo managed to escape out of the yard. Luckily we always found her safe and sound. We figured she was trying to find us so she would feel safe. Sweet huh?


After trying to figure out how she managed to climb the fence and get out, the little Houdini dog shared her secret with us. We were outside one day and we kept hearing a rattling sound. We walked around the side of the garage and there was Cleo, wiggling her way between the two gate doors. We watched her as she managed to free herself. She ran towards us, happily wagging her tail and jumping with excitement over her acomplishment. From that day forward, the doggie door was closed until we could do something about that gate. We had been wanting to get a new fence for awhile, so we took on the task of fixing the fence ourselves. And finally, after several months of confinement and only one accident (brought on by leaving the pantry door open one day and the youngins consuming a loaf of whole wheat bread and two bags of doggie treats), the fence is complete. Yea! So once again, all is right in the world of Ceaser and Cleo. They are able to run free, to bask in the sunshine and to breathe the fresh air whenever they want. Yes, life is good.