Yesterday morning, when I opened my curtains, I noticed that only the quiet dog was in the yard. The vocal one was lying at the side of the road on the other side of the gate which was firmly closed. I wondered if this was a deliberate strategy on the part of the owners to get him to stop barking - he certainly seemed quite tranquil.
A little while later, I opened the curtains to the other window, which looks out onto my own front yard, and who should I see in my yard but the very same dog! I could not imagine how on earth he got in there, as my gate was closed and locked and I am sure he is too big to have squeezed through the tiny gap underneath. However, working on the assumption that if he found a way in he must also be able to find his way back out I went to the front door, threw it open and, in a loud and authoritative voice with appropriate accompanying arm gestures, uttered such useful phrases as "Get out!" and "Go away!" and even a terrifying "Shoo!"
He regarded me with a somewhat quizzical expression, but did not show any signs of removing himself from the premises. People have told me that throwing something at dogs is usually quite effective at getting them to go away, so I picked up one of my trainers from the shoe rack just inside the front door and hurled it across the yard at him. At this he ran down the side of the house, only to reappear again a few seconds later. At this point I realised that he had no idea how to get out, and that he was starting to get distressed, so I decided to leave him alone for a bit and go back inside to appraise the situation.
I was stuck in my house with a large and by now nervous dog between me and my locked front gate. My only option was to go back out there, unlock the gate and let him out. I waited a while and then ventured out, armed with a broom, just in case. He was eyeing me very warily and cowered against the gate as I crossed the yard. I decided a total change of tactic was needed, so I talked to him in a "You-daft-dog-how-did-you-manage-to-get-in-here-shall-we-get-this-gate-open-and-let-you-out?" sort of way. He ran out as soon as the gate was open, and returned to his spot outside his own front gate.
I began to wonder if maybe I had been unwise to upset him. After all, I have to pass his house every day, and if he was going to be on the wrong side of the gate, he might decide to take his revenge... On the other hand, I absolutely did not want him to start regarding my front yard as his territory. I had to pass him several times during the day as I went back and forth on my motorbike doing all my Saturday errands. At first, he was still looking at me with a rather nervous and wary expression, but eventually he relaxed, and when I came back from the market in the afternoon he came sniffing around my bike, wagging his tail and looking for all the world as if he might even invite himself back in. "Don't even think about it!" I said. Clearly, he either has a very short memory, or else we have now established some sort of relationship with me as dominant dog!
This morning when I opened the curtains, both dogs were back in their yard. I still have no idea how he got in to mine....
Butter wouldn't melt.... (He's the one with the brown face)
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