Penny

Our frequent domestic dog dispute is no secret. I want one; Clint is...skeptical.Yes, I know that they cost money and pee and chew on things and require constant attention. But they're also cute, and the goods ones cuddle.

So last Thursday night on my way home from camp I get a call from a friend. A stray has been lingering around their neighborhood for a month, and she's cute and sweet and house-trained and in need of a home. I decided it was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, so I brought her home for the night, along with a crate and a full bag of dog food, and prepared to plead for at least a trial week. Needless to say, Clint was shocked when he walked in the door that night. But a cute dog who doesn't pee inside and doesn't chew and is kennel-trained and likes to snuggle? Puh-leeze. He was sold.

Day One - We named her Penny. The dog names I had always dreamed about just didn't seem to work for a girl, so we had to think outside the box. With the finale of our favorite tv show a few short days away, the answer was obvious. Because really, who names their dog Kate or Claire or Juliet?

That morning she went running with me. Completely dog-owner cliche, I know. I loved it.

I went to buy her a collar and a toy and left her inside - she seemed to behave well, although the ruffled blanket on the couch gave away her new bed of choice. Five minutes after I got home she was pulling the stuffing out of her new toy. So much for stuffed animals.

I went to camp for lunch and left her out in the yard. When I came home, she greeted me at the entrance of our neighborhood. Oops. Apparently there' s a hole in our fence.

Day 2 - Clint put a cement block in front of the hole.

She started to gain a little confidence, to be a little more feisty. Uh-oh. I bought her another toy, this time a rope. Success. I left her alone inside again. Still no pee, but a huge scratch on my bedside table. She can get all the way up on our bed? Seriously? Seriously. That's gonna be a problem.

That night we closed the laundry room door again, and the whining started. LOUD. Then scratches on the door. Why was this just starting now? I decided to lay down the law and lock her in her crate, not just the laundry room. More, louder whining, but eventually she went to sleep.

Day 3 - By now, started to get scared by how she was pushing boundaries. (Is this what it's like to be a parent?) Put her outside at 6:30 to see what would happen. At 6:32, I saw her through the front window. Oops - the gate was open. Put her outside again. She finds another, smaller hole. Ugh. I went to the shed to look for some plywood to nail over the opening, and the Biggest Rat Ever runs across the back ledge. Okay, so I wasn't going to be getting any plywood that day.

I was going to have to be gone most of the day and didn't completely trust her for long periods of time with my new white chair, so I tied her up on a leash in the backyard. Brilliant, I know. I wouldn't have to spend all day worrying about my furniture or about the holes in our fence, although her face as I closed the door almost broke my heart.

That afternoon when I came home, and ran to the backyard, and found half of a leash. Penny was gone. That's right - she broke the leash, or chewed it in half, or at least tore the clip off.

She still hasn't turned up, so I think our days of being dog owners are over, at least for the time being. But it sure was a fun two-and-a-half days!