Cisco's Happy Life!

Merlin

Tanya, I was wondering if I could have you send me the pic you took of Joe and I when I adopted him at Petco. It wasn't on the site, so could you email it to me? I wanted to send it to a couple friends out of state. Also... Joe has been great. Our other dog cannot get enough of him! She gets upset if we have to discipline Joe. It's as if she's telling us, "Don't tell him no!" We put him up once for eating our couch cover and she was hysterical. She wanted him out. Joe never minded. He was quiet in the cage, but she wanted him out. He's also REALLY smart, too smart - for our own good! We tried putting him in the backyard and he dug out, so we have to dig a trench this winter break and put chicken wire around the fence. Then we put him in a spacious room while we were at work - no good. Then I put him in the bathroom, where he learned to lock himself in. That was about the craziest thing I have ever encountered! Funny as heck, but bizarre! Then we got a doggy gate and put him in the hallway so he could see out and be with our other dog. No good either. He climbed over the gate like a person climbs a fence! That is my husband's favorite thing to tell people! Then we put a chair in front of the gate - still climbed over. Lastly, we borrowed a huge crate (three times his size) and put him in there today, in the living room. He popped off the top and climbed out. Can you believe that? What a dog! Luckily, this time he didn't destroy anything. He greeted me at the door after work like nothing happened. I think he's trying to tell me that he will be a good boy, if I just leave him out! Tried that once, won't do it again, at least not for a little while. He only has to spend 1 more day alone before I am off for 6 weeks to train him and spend loads of time with him. He should be a cinch to train! Smarty pants. We should've called him Houdini! LOL. His potty training has gone wonderfully though! I had puppy pads out at first, but he preferred to lay on them like blankets. I come home at lunch to let him and Emily out and he holds it until I do and then again until I come home a couple hours later. WOW! When he was first being trained, he would let my husband know AFTER he went potty, not before. As if to say, "Hey dad, can you clean up my mess?" Now he has the hang of it. He comes up and sweetly asks, even in the morning. He sleeps all night long--on our bed. We had him in the bathroom at night, but after spending the weekend in bed, he wasn't going back to the bathroom ever again. Thanks again for a great, sweet and adventurous pet! Mindy Miller