Adventures in Housesitting

Last week I had the opportunity to housesit for the M family.  They have a cat, which was pretty self sufficient.  The only problem with her was that she threw up twice! Gross!!!

Now the dog is another story.  I had a fairly normal schedule during the week, aside from obligations that took me away for a couple of hours each evening. Let's just say, he's not used to spending that much time alone...and you know what that spells...T-R-O-U-B-L-E!!! 

The first night was completely my fault.  I had used the house phone before I had to go somewhere and just left it on the couch.  When I got back I found something on the floor that was rather random, and later realized that he had chewed the antenna off of the phone.  Ok...not that big of a deal because at least it still works. :)

For the next few nights I found a shoe, a bag, and the bottom of a child size rocking chair destroyed or chewed on.  Again...not good, but not horrible losses either.  It was the next thing really horrified me.

Any time you pull up to the house, he is at the window watching for you. It's like the welcome home committee or something. :)  On Friday, he wasn't at the window when I pulled up.  Oh no!  What's going on in there??  I walk up to the house and peeked in the window and what did my eyes behold??  Luke standing in the middle of the living room amongst fluff.  I was trying to think of what it could possibly be.  A pillow?  No...there weren't any in the room.  When I walked in the house it was made very apparent what was all over.  The couch!!!  Oh my word!! I couldn't believe it!  He managed to rip back seam of one of the leather couch cushions and pulled almost everything out of it.  Thankfully, the leather wasn't ripped.  (Just so you know, they were able to fix the couch!)  I didn't know what to do.  I knew now that I couldn't just leave him to roam the house anymore.  I couldn't stay there 24/7 either.  He had a kennel, but supposedly figured a way to get out of it...houdini dog!  I figured I'd give it a shot and put him in there anyways, because I had to somewhere to go that evening.  I put him in and shoved the kennel up against the wall with the door facing the wall.  I gave him a raw hide bone and hoped he would be distracted by that and not try to escape. 

When I came home later that evening I saw him standing in the middle of the living room floor.  My first thought was, He got out!  But upon further observation I realized that he was still in his kennel!  He managed to slip his tray and bone out of the kennel and then move the kennel with himself in it....at least 10 feet away from where I put it!!!  I couldn't help but laugh!  I was cracking up!!  He may not have been where I left him, but he was still in the kennel and nothing was destroyed...yay!!

After talking with the M's that night, I found out they'd be coming home Saturday which was earlier than expected.  So I had one more day to keep Luke from destroying anything else. 

I didn't have to go anywhere until Saturday afternoon and only to run a few errands, so hopefully the kennel would work again.  I arranged it just as I had the night before, except I put up a baby gate to keep him from manuevering his way into the living room.  When I got back it appeared to have worked like a charm!  He had still slipped the tray and bone out and wasn't in the exact spot I put him, but he was still in the general area I wanted him.  Victory....or so I thought.  It was then that I looked down and saw that he got ahold of the front door mat and shredded it!  He also managed to scrape his nose.  In his attempt to escape he loosened some bars on the kennel and I'm thinking that's where he scraped his nose.  Again, I had to laugh because Day 6 would not have been complete without the sixth thing being destroyed.  But alas, I was wrong again...right before I left I was playing with him outside before I put him back in the kennel (not before making sure he wouldn't hurt himself again) and he managed to pop the ball we were playing with.  Nice one, Luke!  I guess 7 is the number of perfection! Haha!! 

When the M's got back how do you think they found Luke?  Trying to get out of the kennel?  Destroying yet another piece of their property?  Nope!  He was just laying in his kennel!  I guess he figured he'd better get his act together before they came home and be on his best behaviour. 

It was quite the adventure to say the least!  I sure got my share of frustration and laughter out of the whole ordeal. :)  I know this was long, but hopefully you got a good laugh out of it!