Boof’s Big Adventure (and lack of common sense)

I always thought our dog was really smart because she listens to NPR every day while we are at work.  We usually listen in the car on the way to and from work, so it gives us something to talk to her about when we get home.  Just kidding.  Anyway, I assume she was well-versed in public issue and what’s going on in the world.  Unfortunately, she seems to be one of those dogs who is very intelligent, but has no common sense (or self-control for that matter).

Last Thursday I finally unpacked my backpack from our Vegas trip and set my empty backpack in our room.  Boof seems to think there are lots of goodies and food in every single bag or backpack (which is sometimes the case), so even when the bag is completely empty, she can’t control herself from turning it inside out searching for something delicious.

We have a webcam set up in our living room, where she is 99% of the day while we are at work.  Usually sleeping.  On Friday around 8:30, Lo emailed and asked what was on the couch with Boof.  I pulled up the website and it looked like a backpack was in front of her on the couch.  Her whole body was blocked by the bag, except her face and her tail and back legs.  I didn’t remember if my backpack was in my closet or my room, and since it was empty, wasn’t really concerned.  Lo thought his was in another room with the door shut.  He was worried that she had the backpack stuck on her because she usually just gets into a bag where she finds it, and leaves it there.  She appeared to be sleeping peacefully, so she didn’t seem to be in any immediate danger (unless she got it caught on something), but he sent our friend who lives nearby over to check on her.

We each sat in our respective offices staring at a webcam of our dog for several minutes.  At one point, I click away from the screen and when I looked back she’d moved to the chaise part of the couch and was completely obscured by the backpack, so it was clearly stuck on her somehow.

When our friend got there, she sat up and I caught this pic of her with the pack around her neck, kind of like she was waiting on the bus, but not really.

He let himself in and she ran over to him and took the bag off her neck and put it somewhere that she couldn’t get it, in case she was determined there was something good inside.  (she’s not angry or trying to bite him in this pic – she’s mid-yawn)

Apparently she had the HANDLE part on top of the backpack stuck around her neck!  I don’t even know how that would have happened!  We’re lucky that the backpack was empty, because if it were heavy and got stuck, she could have strangled herself if she tried to drag in anywhere.  (see all of the dog hair below the handle?!)

We joked that maybe she was trying to run away.  She’d stayed the previous weekend at our friends’ house with their 3 dogs, and we highly suspect she wants to live there instead of at our house because it’s boring at our house.  But truthfully, she just has no common sense or impulse control.  So don’t feel bad if your child has ever stuck a pebble too far up his nose or in his ear, or got his head stuck in a banister.  Making him listen to NPR isn’t going to help the situation though.  Some people and dogs just can’t control themselves.