Houdini the dog

When we first brought Oreo, our dog, home, she would find amazing ways to get out of the garden. I took to calling her Houdini, after the famous the escape artist.

I came up with several different plans and adaptations to her environment to try to keep her in, only to get a call from a neighbour to come and pick her up, yet again. We trained her and eventually, she stopped escaping.

She is now full grown and has no problem leaping onto and over the wall, but she doesn't. In fact, we often find her peering over the wall at us from on top of her dog house as we return home. Even when the gate is left wide open, she won't leave. Over the last 18 months she has decided that she likes it here and isn't interested in leaving. 

Suddenly, this seems to have changed. My dog is doing her best impression of Houdini again.

She has run off 3 times in the last 2 days. Twice people in town have found her and called the number on the tag for us to come retrieve her. The third time was this morning when we found her patiently waiting outside the gate to be let back in for breakfast. We have no idea how long she had been roaming the neighbourhood.

Our theory is that the dog is searching for my wife. They have formed quite a bond. My wife is in Asia for a week, and Oreo seems to be pining for her. On one level this is very sweet, but whatever the reason for the wandering, we have to stop it for her own good. 

What the dog doesn't understand, is that it is dangerous for her to be wandering around out there. She could be very easily hit by a car, or get into some other dangerous situation. She is not particularly dumb, for a dog, but she simply doesn't understand the ramifications of her choices. That is why we have to protect her with walls and gates. That is why we have to put her on the chain when we bring her back. That is why we have to manufacture small consequences to protect her from the unthinkably bad consequences. 

Once again, I find myself thinking about God. 

Why do I run off? Why do I feel the need to wander when everything I need, everything I really want is freely offered to me by my Master? If I'm honest, it can be fun to roam, but that's only because I haven't tripped over the consequences yet. So, God puts parameters around us. He says, "Your life will be better if you stay close to me and if you live within the fences I put around you." But somehow the fences beg to be jumped. Something in me wants to leap over and see if it really is as dangerous as all that. 

God graciously, kindly metes out the discipline that I need to train me. He doesn't want me to pay the price for my sin. He has already done that. He doesn't punish His children, but He does train us for our own good. He gives us small consequences to prevent us from bringing the larger consequences on ourselves. He has already paid the ultimate price and received the consequences in Himself. Now, He offers abundant life, a life within limits...good limits. 

I hope that my dog will remember that she likes it here. I hope that she will stop wandering. I hope I'll stop wandering too.

Another Dog Blog

My dog just ate more of her bed.

I knew that something was wrong because she looked guilty and pseudo repentant as soon as she saw me. I went toward her and she immediately threw herself on the ground and turned over. As I approached I could see the fluff all over the floor and knew what had happened.

The irony of this is that scattered all around her bed are a dizzying array of chew toys: rope ones, plastic ones, bone ones, wooden ones. She enjoys those toys. They all show signs of her oral affection, but now they are neglected as she grovels before me. She is repenting for chewing the only thing in the room that she knows is off limits.Why does she do this?

Why does she choose the forbidden thing when perfectly legitimate things are all around her? She obviously understands that there will be negative consequences for her choice. That doesn't prevent her from doing it though. She chooses the thing that she knows is bad rather than the any of the many things that are good.

Why do we do this?

Of Sheep and Obedience

Yesterday I was out with the dog, crossing a field filled with sheep.  As it is Spring, there were many bleating lambs in the field with the flock.  As we entered the field I could see the dog's muscles grow taut beneath her shiny coat.  She was excited and ready for the chase.  But these are not my sheep, not my lambs.  I cannot let her run wild, as fun as it might be for her or for me to watch.  She could well injure one of them, or worse yet, develop a taste for them. I have heard more than once of a domestic dog in the area chasing down and killing sheep or even injuring cattle.  

So, I need for the dog to obey me.  I have been training her to obey my voice.  I have been giving her treats and rewarding her for choosing to obey rather than just running off and doing whatever she feels like doing at any given moment.  It is clear that obedience doesn't come naturally.  She is pretty sure that she understands what would be best for her, or most fun for her, in any given moment.  Only she really is a dumb animal.  She doesn't recognize the subtle threats of disease or long term consequences for disobedience; heck, she doesn't even see an approaching car as dangerous.  She just doesn't get it.  So, I need her to obey for her own good.

As we enter the field I debate whether to put her on a lead.  I reflect on how well she has been obeying on the walk thus far.  I wonder if she can handle the freedom of being off lead, or if she would be best served by having the experience of freedom and the rewards I will lavish on her when she obeys.  I decide to give her a chance to choose obedience.  I pull the lead out of my pocket to provide a visual reminder of consequences for disobedience.  I can see from her submissive posture that she recognizes the possibility of consequence.  Ten, I give her a treat to remind her that I am the giver of all good things.  We start across the field as I call her to heel.

I can see the tension within her as she starts to quicken her pace and move toward the sheep.  I call her back.  She looks back over her shoulder...and returns to me.  I give her a treat.  As we start walking on, I can see that she has her eyes fixed on a little lamb nearby.  She is watching it move and drifting towards it.  I call her.  She does not look back.  I call her again, but it is as if she doesn't even hear me.  Then, quick as a flash, she is racing across the grass toward her prey.  Now I am shouting her name and running after her.  I can imagine the consequences that have never entered her mind.  The lamb hears the commotion and turns to flee, but this only encourages the dog to pursue.  Instinct has taken over now, like something out of "The Call of the Wild" she is a primeval hunter returning to her roots.

I keep calling to her and, just as she is about to close on her quarry, she looks back.  I am shouting, gesticulating wildly, and fervently insisting that she return.  After her quick glance back she continues on, careening into the flock.  The lamb disappears into the mass of hooves and wool and so she takes one of the sheep down.  She stands over her prize, unsure what to do with it now that she has knocked it over.  Then, she looks up at me rapidly approaching and slowly starts to return.  Moments later I am relieved to see that the sheep is back on it's feet and rejoining the skittish flock.  No harm done.

She comes back, groveling all the way.  She knows she has disobeyed and she sees the lead in my hand.  She knows she deserves the lash.  She is right.  I give her one swat across the bottom with the leather lead and give her a tongue lashing that I only wish she could understand.  She makes a big show of submission and obedience, but I can see that even then, in her moment of punishment, her attention was divided between me, her master, and the tempting flock still close at hand.   Even in the midst of the consequence she was thinking about how she might be able to slip away again.

Lord have mercy!