Isa's Story

But then nothing in my world is dog proof.

My apologies, I have been derelict in my entertainment duties in these here parts. I had to go to California last weekend for family stuff and that consumed the bulk of available resources: time, money, energy and sense of humor. I think I have now achieved some level of caught-up-ness. At least, I’m going to pretend that’s the case. Being caught up is a figment of our individual and collective imaginations anyway, not to mention being highly overrated.

So in a desperate attempt to leave no stone unturned in finding ways to get Roxy happier, more settled, less destructive, less afraid, what-have-you, I have enlisted the help of an “animal communicator”. I sent a list of questions I wanted to ask Roxy and photos (full face and full side views). This is one I took that I especially like, it seems the most “her”.

I haven’t quite made up my mind about the concept or what she’s had to say thus far but she is certainly committed to helping Roxy get better. She went out of her way to talk to our trainer (pro bono) and suggested a different formula of CBD oil that is now ordered. The stuff we have now doesn’t seem to be of much help. Thus far, what she has said falls mostly in the category of “painfully obvious”: that Roxy is afraid all the time and was abused in her first home – shamed for not being aggressive enough in defending her home turf – that would certainly explain why no one is allowed near the house.  I still have some time left (prepaid) with her after we see how this new CBD oil works. Stand by for further reports.

Clearly it is not an immediate fix. In the on-going battle of wits between Roxy and I, I thought to try a child-proof lock on the cabinet under the kitchen sink. I find it inconvenient to have the trash can across the room in the pantry. I tested the lock and there was more wiggle room than I felt was advisable so I put the magnetic catches back on so the magnets would grab and close the inch gap.

You can see how successful the experiment was:

Fortunately, I had just taken the trash out so there wasn’t much to spread across the house. I have no idea how she did it but somehow she managed to yank the frame off the cabinet door. I suppose it was a success to the extent that the lock remained on the knob? That’s a very slim straw to clutch but clutch it I shall.

You can see the extent of her remorse:

Pretty much non existent. I think we can officially call it: I have lost the battle and the war. At least on the home front. I’m just waiting for her to figure out to open the doors around the house. Not a single knob, all levers, well within the abilities of an intelligent, determined dog. And we have more that proven that she is that.

That said, I had to board her while I was in California. How scary is that? And guess what? She did beautifully! Ran and played and ran and collapsed exhausted at the end of the day. The owner said she didn’t hear her bark until I was there picking her up and someone had the audacity to come into the office.

As a reward we stopped at Starbucks:

Clearly horrible stuff. Just horrible. So bad, she volunteered to take the lot of it out back to dispose of.

That’s about it for now in our world. I hope you and yours are all doing well!

Love,

Teri, the Roxinator and Angel Isa