Smart dog . . .

Since our dog, Chick, is rather big and definitely not of the lap dog size, she is, by us, considered an outside dog. Chick, however, begs to differ. She seems to feel that a good roll in the dirt is an entrance requirement for coming into the house.

Chick is also a very smart dog. She learned early on how to open the screen door. The first few times, we would come up the open door and wonder how it could happen. Chick would be sweetly sitting in her dog house and sharing our confusion. Eventually, we'd find the door open and Chick sleeping inside the house.

We've come to a compromise. Once she loses her winter coat which literally blankets the backyard in tons of fur that could provide every bird in our town with building material, she is allowed in on very hot days but only on the mat just inside the door. She tends to migrate from day to day so she has learned her name very well as we come into the room and yell, "CHICK!" and she casually moves back into place.

Since the heat wave, once we turn on the fans, we also allow Chick some respite inside the backdoor. She usually sleeps or looks outside the slider . . . as opposed to sitting outside and looking inside the sliding door. She is banned during cooking and meals and is allowed inside, after dinner, only until we mop the floor. She is then given a treat and literally shown the door. It takes seconds for her to eat her treat and she makes the rounds of every door and window, whining, "Guys! GUYS! Don't you remember, I'm an INSIDE dog!"