In mid-March, I adopted a Saint Bernard that I named Penny. She is the third Saint that I have owned so there should have been no surprises. Each of my dogs has had their own special personality and caused their own frustrations. The number one thing I have learned with this dog, which is my first smooth-coated Saint, is that smooth-coated dog shed just as much as a rough-coated! The only other explanation for all the hair on the floor in my house is that I just don't remember how much more there may have been with the other dogs.
So now here it is the beginning of June and I decide that Penny seems to be pretty needy and likes to follow me from room to room so maybe she would stay right with me outside. Last night was the first test. I had been working on the pool, getting it ready to be started today so took Penny out with me and she did great, staying just a few feet away, peeing and pooping and then gladly going back into the house with me a little while later. Then just before going to bed I took her out and she peed while I sat on the deck praising her. No leash and she showed no desire to take off.
Now the next morning I'm beat from a not very restful night's sleep. My alarm goes off and I know I have to get up and hit the shower. Hey, Penny was so good, let's see what happens this morning. So out through the bedroom sliding door, I sit on the deck and off she goes to pee, then she moves off further to poop and then she looks at me as if to say "see ya", turns her back on me and away she goes to the woods working her way over to my Mom's. Of course I call her but get no response from her. I head back into the house, calling myself some names, throw on a pair of shorts, slip into some clogs and keep my football jersey jammies on. Get in the car, head down the road and when I get to the corner notice Penny at the house across the street from Mom's. I pull into their driveway, open the back door of the car, call Penny and she comes right over and into the car. I turn around for home, pull into the garage, close the door and we head back into the house with me praising Penny for coming and getting the car.
I head into the shower after calling my boss just to assure him that if anyone wondered where I was, that I was running late but would be into work in plenty of time to start and pretrip my bus. Into the shower I go, get out and get dressed then start to walk out into the kitchen, thinking how I'm making great time and I might get to work my normal early time. Then all of a sudden I notice that the dog isn't following me around. I look around from room to room and no dog! What the heck!
Then I notice it. I had never closed the sliding glass down in my bedroom! She is out on the loose again!!!! Once again I get into the car and head down the road. She isn't back at the neighbors so I turn around and head up into the subdivision up the hill from me but no sign of her. I head back into my yard and decide to drive back behind the house. Sure enough, I get back by Cory's "stuff" and there she is. I call her and she runs right over but I decide not to put her into the car, just let her run along side me. When I get back up to the house I just head right into the garage thinking she will follow me. WRONG!!! Down the driveway she heads out to the street. Thank Goodness I leave on a fairly quiet road, especially at 6:30AM. So I back the car out to the road and get out calling her after I open a couple car doors. She run back and forth on the road for a minute, I see a car coming and then she runs to me, past me and turns around and does the same thing in the opposite direction. The car passes by with no problem and then I figure I might as well walk back to the car and call her. She runs right over, hops into the front seat then crawls into the back seat.
Now my driveway is only 250 feet long, BUT, as I drive back into the garage, she shakes that big head of hers and the slobber goes everywhere! In the garage, I close the garage door then let her out of the car and we both walk into the house. She is panting like crazy so I refill her water bowl, grab the rest of my stuff for work and head back towards the garage. Penny spends her day in the laundryroom where I say Good-bye to her and out the door I go. I get back into the car (it had started to rain so no bike today) and pulled out, finally catching my breath and thinking "maybe this dog is more trouble then she is worth".
So now it's evening, Penny and I have been outside several times, always on the leash and I'm thinking "one of these days she is going to grow up and settle down". I must have been crazy for getting another dog! But I did get her and I'm sticking it out!
Just in case you are interested, I did get to work on time, 15 minutes later then I usually do, but in plenty of time to get my bus pretrip done along with my paperwork. I even had time to shut everything down and just relax a few minutes before heading down the road.
