MY DOG ……. A SURPRISE FOR ME
OR
HOW I FINALLY GOT HIM!

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PAGE FIVE:
YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED 
TO ACCOMPANY ME OUTSIDE ………
THERE IS NO CHOICE!

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Each morning, Casanova/Puppy refuses to go outside and relieve himself before having his breakfast and his Treats!

Although I have allowed him to have both his breakfast and Treats before going, he still refuses to relieve himself unless I go with him!  I am able to deceive him into going out onto my small porch, but he will not go down the steps and into the garden unless I follow.  Since winter mornings are extremely cold, especially at 6 a.m., I am unwilling to join him.

Porch & Steps to Back Garden after a Snow Storm

I have perhaps spoiled him since, should I allow him to remain outside alone on the porch for a prolonged time, he will begin to scratch at the door, and when I look through the screen door, I am greeted by those sad eyes, and I have to open the door and let him back into the warmth!  I have been told by others that I am too soft with him!

Standing before the screen door and wanting to come back inside

Should I dress myself in layers of warm clothes and then step onto the porch, he will then go down the steps, but will still go no further onto the grass to relieve himself!

Waiting on the steps for me to join him

And so, once dressed warmly and with coffee in hand, I follow Casanova/Puppy outside, down the steps and onto the grass.  He is then, and only then, willing to go off and do his business.  While this is going on, he expects me to wait patiently for him to finish.  Following this, on warmer days, he enjoys spending time running around and exploring the garden.  However, on colder mornings, he is quick to race up the steps and wait for me to open the door so he can scamper back into the warmth of the house.

Racing Up the Steps and into the House

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I have to add here that I am amazed at the strength of his sphincter muscles since he appears to be able to wait hours between visits to the outside.

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Following this, on warmer days, he likes spending time running around and exploring the garden.  What he especially seems to enjoy is rolling around on the grass and then having a good shake to remove any grass that has clung to his coat.

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Casanova/Puppy’s past masters and mistress smoke.  At periodic intervals during the day, they  were known to go out into their front garden where they sat on their porch and enjoyed a cigarette and some conversation.  On most occasions, Casanova/Puppy joined them.

The Porch of Casanova/Puppy’s previous home

As a result, Casanova/Puppy developed the habit of going outside often during the day and doing as he pleased.  His outside enjoyment included the running to ground of all odours, keeping other animals out of the garden, barking at the Post Woman and any passers-by that he did not like the look of, as well as racing around both the front and back gardens.

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Since I do not smoke (any longer!), my time spent in my garden is limited during cold winter months to the performance of only the most essential of jobs.  Once I realised that Casanova/Puppy was in the habit of going outside, shall we say for a smoke, I have had to incorporate the occasional outside break to accommodate his requests.

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The front and back gardens of Casanova/Puppy’s previous home were not separated by fences.  Since the front garden was separated from the road, he was able to have free access to both gardens at all times and was able to race around the perimeter to his heart’s content.

Views of the Garden of Casanova/Puppy’s Previous Home
Top: Panoramic View of the Front Garden;
Centre: View of the House & Porch; Centre Left: Left Perimeter; Centre Right: Right Perimeter; and
Bottom: Panoramic View of the Back Garden

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Sadly for Casanova/Puppy, my front and back gardens are separated by a fence and a gate thereby restricting his free access to both.  Equally as sad for him is that I cannot leave the communicating gate open for him to run and race between the two parts of my garden since my front garden lacks a fence between it and the busy road.  I am planning to build a fence here during the coming spring months, but until then, he has to content himself with sorties around my back garden only.

Panoramic View of My Front Garden, 2015

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In spite of the restrictions, I am happy to say that Casanova/Puppy seems to be content to explore my back garden and be taken for walks around the front garden periodically while attached to a leash and accompanied by me.  I am especially glad that he is seemingly not unhappy to be attached to a leash since he was not trained as a puppy to walk with one.  In fact, he is a joy to take for a walk since he never pulls on the leash and does not walk across or behind me and does not wander out into the road and risk meeting traffic.

Panoramic View of My Back Garden, 2015 

As I have said, he is a very smart dog!  But then I am prejudice!

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Somewhat amusingly, Casanova/Puppy seems to have given himself the duty of guarding my house and appears ready to stave off all attacks attempted from the back garden.

At the foot of my back garden is a small canal that was built to help rainwater from the area be channeled away.  There is a small walkway on either side of the canal, which is much traveled by cats.  Whenever Casanova/Puppy sees a cat walking along one of the walkways, he sets off at an amazing speed to see that they do not dare climb my fence and enter the garden.

The Canal at the foot of my Back Garden after a Heavy Downpour of Rain

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Reconnaissance

In order to maintain the back garden as a cat-and squirrel-free zoneCasanova/Puppy undertakes Reconnaissance Duties by patrolling the path parallel to the house rather like a sentry at Buckingham Palace and sorties to cover the garden perimeter.  He takes his duties very seriously, and like all good sentries, he stops periodically and takes up guard duty while sitting at the edge of the grass where he will make occasional turns of his head to the left and then the right in order to be sure that we are not about to be invaded by a marauding boatload of cats and squirrels that have sailed up the canal under a hostile flag!  Following this, he resumes his patrol!

Taking the Salute

Of course while he undertakes his duties, I am expected to sit or stand (my choice) while watching and Taking the Salute while admiring his activities rather like the Queen (1926) at the Trouping the Colour ceremony or the crowds watching The Changing of The Queen’s Guard.

Sentry Duty

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Once Sentry Duty is over and he is off duty, he enjoys rolling over and over on the grass and, of course, having a final good scratch before returning to barracks!  

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An amusing incident happened yesterday while I was in my back garden with Casanova/Puppy.  He was Guard Duty and sitting at attention when he spied a cat walking home along the path on our side of the canal.  Immediately, he sprang into action and chased down to the foot of the garden to engage the enemy!  He moved with the speed of an arrow with no bark escaping from him.  Once at the fence, Casanova/Puppy announced his presence to the cat by issuing a blood-curling bark!  The poor cat jumped with fright into the air and, as it is said, took off in the direction of safety!

Should you not believe that cats can walk on water(!), I fear that I must beg to differ!  Once the cat came down to earth, it took off and walked, or rather ran for its life, across the canal, currently filled with water following a large downpour on the previous night, and up the bank and onto the path furthest from Casanova/Puppy who immediately began to patrol the fence at top-speed in case the cat dared to return and attempt to climb the fence and enter the garden.  After the cat had gained some composure, it took off again at top speed, in the direction of his home.

Once Casanova/Puppy was certain that the offender had been beaten back, he turned and began a triumphal march towards me where I am sure he expected to be rewarded for his bravery after facing and vanquishing such a fearful enemy!

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The Kennel ……. almost completed

When Casanova/Puppy came to live in my home, a friend of mine kindly built him a kennel.  The kennel has, as real estate and property managers would say about their best properties, all mod. cons!  These mod cons. include a large bed, a 100-watt electric light bulb to give both heat and light, and a roof complete with shingles that opens to allow greater ventilation on hot days.  The entrance also has an awning so that he can sit and look out without rain falling on his head during inclement weather.  Quite the palace, one might say.  The tragedy is that Casanova/Puppy will have nothing to do with this building!  Despite my efforts, he continues to ignore it, which upsets the person that built it.

Unfortunately, refusing to have anything to do with the Kennel

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