An Anecdote to make up for the neglect

The dogs have decided to punish us for leaving them everyday. Diesel likes to sleep on our bed during the day, so we had been putting a suitcase across the door...well, a big scary thunderstorm came through during the middle of the night back in July and she learned that she was perfectly capable of jumping it. So, we had to change the bedding the next day cuz she got it all hairy. So, then we decided to take TWO suitcases, stand them up the tall way and barricade it that way. (oh, side note. We didn't want to close the door because the room would get too hot, especially at night.) But then Diesel figured out that she could push the lighter suitcase out of the way and just come on in! So, we had to change the sheets again. We got frustrated and decided to just close the door. But it was SO hot!!! So then last week, I remembered Diesel's metal crate. I hadn't put it together yet, so we took one of the walls and put it on the inside of the door and wedged it between the door and a suitcase and voila! it worked. It was too high for her to jump and we didn't have to change laundry!!! woohoo. Thursday was the day that the punishments started. I had filled a garbage bag full of grocery bags and set it in the entry way to take back to Kroger to recycle. I got home on Thursday to a battlefield. Dogs: 1, bags: 0. The carnage was horrible to behold. Poor, shredded bags strewn throughout the house. No bag was left untouched. The were ALL over the living room. sigh. so we cleaned them up and went to dinner at Brooke and Jon's house, planning to start walking the dogs more and playing with them more. While we were gone, another super-scary thunderstorm came through. Diesel decided to brave the high fence and slept on our bed. I was so mad! Paul coaxed her back over it, but she really had to think about it, so you know that she was scared when she first decided to jump it. So we decided that we were safe; she just jumped it cuz she was scared and she wouldn't do it again. We changed the sheets and went to bed. The next day we got home and had to change the sheets again. Stupid dog. She definitely likes her creature comforts. Thursday night they decided to get into the trash can. Duchess is not tall enough to reach her head inside, but Diesel is! They didn't knock the trash can over. They merely reached in, selected the discarded bacon bag and went to town! That wasn't enough, so they also grabbed a few other yummy-smelling bags, but eventually got tired from all their fun and went to sleep. We planned to walk them when we got home from the church meeting. So we got home and it was late and Paul had to wake up early. So we planned to walk them Saturday. That night, I innocently left my purse on the coffee table, with an unsuspecting Snicker's Nutrition bar safely nestled therein. The poor thing didn't know what hit it. It never had a chance! They also kidnapped 2 clementine oranges from my purse and knocked them around a bit. They were bruised but not broken. A sock of Paul's also fell prey to their reign of terror. We found only remnants. The scene that morning was a bit like something out of a movie where the kids have partied while mom and dad are away and just fell asleep in all the pizza boxes and beer cans. They woke up enough from their stupor to half-heartedly wag tails and then were out again. As soon as Paul left for work, I got dressed and took the dogs for a very brisk walk around the neighborhood. I was practically dragging them behind me by the time I got home. I made them sit and looked at them before we came back in the house. Their faces said "please stop now! No mischief today. We promise!" Thankfully, they kept that promise. No inanimate objects had to fear that it was their day to meet their maker. I was secure in the knowledge that the trash would remain firmly within the trashcan and that no more laundry would go missing. We still have to close our door during the day, though. The siren call of the bed is just too strong for Diesel to resist.