It started with a storm

Summer monsoons here have been busy and loud and sometimes crazy. 

The dog has decided that in his old age, he's now an inside dog (he just celebrated his 8th birthday by binge eating a bone and mesquite beans...you know it's a GREAT birthday if you puke it all back up!).


But, let me preface this with the fact that I also got tired of looking all over the neighborhood to find him.  Plus...since he has a "My Name is Hank, call my mom at 555-0000" (not my number), I found that I was running out of excuses as to why he was wandering ...AGAIN. So that has been a plus.

Add to that, he was often so far that I had to put him in the back of my truck. And he would leave a mess like this:

Those are saliva drips - and they are all over my stadium seat and carpet, as well as the back seat where he hung his head. SO gross.

The biggest problem is that EVERYONE LOVES HIM.  He makes people feel sorry for him. One lady was like 'I gave him some food and water...he looked so hungry, like he'd been out for a while'...lady, you were TAKEN, totally snowed over by my overweight chocolate lab. He is NOT hurting for food. He gorges himself mesquite beans every chance he gets. Is he pathetic? By all means yes. Starving? I think not.  The Vet was not super impressed with his 3-year weight loss achievement of 3lbs. He's a big boy, we've heard it many times. 

If the neighbors would stop letting him hang out with them and giving him snacks and juse SEND HIM HOM, we might be able to drop another 2lbs next time he goes in!

But that is neither here nor there. 

The point is, he loves going for walks on his own. He is not swayed by our new state-of-the-art-in-the-ground-high-voltage-shock-for-stubborn-dogs electric fence. His neck fat protects him from any sort of shock impacting his large frame. OR - No pain, no gain.

Either way, there is no lesson learned in the small shock he gets if he chooses to leave the yard. I cannot fence in my property, it is just not a feasible option.

So, back to the storms. Which was the original storyline that I have only slightly deviated from.

This summer has been unusually loud and thunderous. Hank has decided that he's actually terrified of thunder and would like to be with the family during these very scary times. 

Ok. Fine. 

The first time I was like 'it is a really bad storm'...and let him in.

The second time I was like 'it's not that bad, but his ears are more sensitive'...and let him in.

The third time I was like 'I think that storm is actually about 40 miles east of here'...and in he came.

Now, he just comes in whenever I am home. Apparently he doesn't bother my sweet husband and is just FINE laying outside. But as soon as I get home, he just can't believe his luck! He jumps up and down and is so happy to see me!!!

Then ends up here:

Which really is better than here:

Cheers!