She's Too Smart

This is Lily Lu sometime shortly after we brought her home last July.

Isn't she little and so damn cute? When you bring a new puppy home it is kinda like Forest Gump. You know, life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get. You never know with puppies either. Albert Einstein in puppy form or Forest Gump. Well intentioned but not too bright. You want them to know enough to pee and poop outside,  but not enough to open the refrigerator and help themselves to food.

Lily learned important things like the above. She loves to carry the paper from the road up to the house. She has to be on a leash or she will run off with the paper and tear it to shreds. In some cases it might be a great loss but if you look closely that is the Galesburg Register Mail. Generally it could go from the box out front into the bottom of a bird cage and I wouldn't feel bad.

Miss Lily learned the basics. Sit, shake hands, shit outside, don't pee in the house, people food tastes really good, toys are fun.

We decided that obedience school would be a good idea and allow her to socialize with other dogs. She learned to sit and stay, sit and wait, lay down and wait, lay down and stay, how to heel, and walk on a leash without pulling. She will come when she is called but only if you are in the house. Outside the hound brain takes over. The nose hits the ground and she is off following whatever it is she smells. We are still working on that one. Anyway, last Saturday she graduated from Doggie Obedience School. It was a proud moment for the entire family.

Then Sunday rolled around and we learned how much she needed to learn.

Saturday night that plaid thing on the floor and hanging out of her mouth was my bathrobe. I especially like the look on her face. Kind of says, I'm not doing anything wrong am I?

It is hers now and she is keeping it.

 Lily poses with the remains of my robe and celebrates a job well done.

For the past several months we have limited Lily to the great room in the house and the hallway. We have kept the bedroom doors shut so she doesn't go in unsupervised as we knew she liked to chew things up. Sunday morning the door was closed. The robe still got chewed. The picture below is the openers for our doors.

Lily figured out that if she stood up she could flip the lever down and the door opens. Now she goes wherever she wants. The only doors that lock are the bathroom doors. If you do not want company you must lock the door. She will join you in the shower.

This is Lily at meal preparation time. She is standing on the couch looking over the wall to see what we are fixing. Note the open pound of hamburger on the counter. She watches from that side until you turn your back. Anything she can reach on the counter will go in her mouth. Cooking kills the germs she leaves when she licks food, right?

 

 

So Lily is 9 months old and is able to sit, lay down, heel, shake hands, open doors, steal food and love us with complete abandon of reason. She is smart. I am hoping in a year or two she can start writing out checks, lick envelopes and pay the bills. Not really, just hoping she continues to love and amaze us every day.