I looked back to three years ago on this date to see what I had posted. I enjoy doing this for a Throwback Thursday or a Flashback Friday. It’s one of the wonderful things about having a blog, because often I find something I had forgotten or not thought about for quite a while. I also find that I can often tie in the old memories to what’s going on now.
On May 5th, 2013 I posted the black and white version of the above photo. “What was Cricket looking at?” I asked. It turns out that our late beagle Kobi had popped open the screen door downstairs and wandered out of the house to my greenhouse. Kobi had been known to leave the yard in the past, so it was a good thing that Cricket spotted him and gave him away!
When looking for the original version of the photo, it was interesting to see that the dogs were using their pool on that date! It certainly hasn’t been pool weather yet this year! Which I guess is a good thing, since we couldn’t really fit the pool in their small pen right now.
The cool rainy weather we have been having has slowed down our construction. The plan was to put a new door in the end of the house which will lead into the current dog pen. They’ll be building a deck there as well so we have a place to hang out with the dogs outside and get some morning sun (we have a small front porch but the dogs couldn’t be with us there). After that is all done, we’ll be expanding the fenced in yard.
I think I’m more impatient for all that to happen than the dogs are. Taking them out to the pen on leashes is getting old! They are so impatient and Luke is the only one I can get to sit still (sometimes) while I put his leash on. Then they want to charge out the door just about every time. I think we’re getting a break in the rain today, so hopefully progress is made.
Did you see my beautiful forsythia bush in the above photo? I miss it! Here’s the forsythia bush we have here at our new house:
Not quite the same! However, forsythias are pretty hardy, and that one will get moved at some point and hopefully thrive again. My hubby was going to cut the whole thing down (he did cut part of it because it was hanging into the driveway), but our contractor promised me he’d move it for me instead, when they start doing some work in that area.
The throwback photo brought me to one more rambling thought: Kobi was a smart dog, and he usually only had to do something once to have it figured out. Once he popped that screen door open there was no stopping him. We basically had to stop using it. He and Cricket also figured out how to open the screen doors on our porch at the old house. The good thing there was that those doors led into the fenced in yard. Luke has once again been taking a page out of Kobi’s book though – he’s been popping open doors here in the new house!
If we don’t latch this door properly, he’ll swat at it and pop it open. That door leads to the open yard, so not good! He quickly learned that swatting at doors will sometimes open them, and he did the same with our bedroom door one time. That time he just got lucky and hit the latch, but I don’t think he knows exactly how he did it so he hasn’t done it again (yet). The problem with that is that is where we put the dogs when the workers are here. So now if we’re not home, we have to put a gate on the other side of that door for added security!
Who ever said life with pets was not challenging? Can any of your dogs open doors?
No but mom had a cat that tried to turn a door knob with both paws. When they added the lever door handles they always say it’s a good think we don’t have Peaches otherwise she’d be out of here! Love Dolly PeeS: Great throwback, Taffy always tells on me too.
Thanks, Dolly! We also had a cat who tried to turn doorknobs, but I think she only used one paw. Peaches sounds like she was a smart kitty!
Luke you are too smart for your own good.
LOL they are too smart for their own good. With the weird spring this year, our forsythia bushes did not bloom much either.
We’re closing doors right now – but because of the shape of the knobs, I doubt seriously if Jaxson will ever open any.
I think it’s best to just stick to closing them! 🙂
Ducky opens the porch door to let herself in (and scared me half to death the first time). Now she has also figured out how to get it open from the inside so she can come back out into the yard.
I always liked when the beagles let themselves out the porch door….it was one less time I had to be door person! If your yard is secure, I think it can be a good thing! 🙂
Awe! I love throwback photos! They are so cute!
Yes, both of my dogs can open doors and they can also close them. They generally don’t close them unless cued, though and they are unable to open our front or sliding glass doors. Just the bedroom and bathroom doors. Generally, Phoenix will poke the bathroom door open with her nose to see what I’m doing. 😀
I deliberately trained Luke to only close doors, not open them. People would ask me if I was training him to open them, but I just knew that couldn’t lead to anything good! Especially cabinet doors, that’s all I would need was him helping himself to what is in those! LOL
Oh my goodness they are so smart. Sometimes it amazes me the things Cocoa figures out. She can open the doors at Christopher Robins. One is a latch so that is easy but the other is a regular door and she turns her paws knowing how to open it and sometimes she does!! She is an escaper!!
Barley can open my parents’ back patio door to let herself back inside. That’s usually not a problem, but when my brother and his dog (who Barley wants to eat) are also there, we have to make sure to latch the deadbolt now so that Barley can’t get in and get to him. Soth is the one who opens doors here–for days I kept noticing the linen closet doors were open when I swore I’d closed them after going in there. Eventually I peeked in and saw a cat sleeping on a quilt! He could also open all of the sliding closet doors at our apartment, too.
Cats are definitely just as smart as dogs, aren’t they? One of our cats used to get up on a table and paw at the door knob. I’m not sure it ever worked for her, but I was always impressed that she knew what the knob was for!
Hi Y’all!
Yep, I open doors. At the shore the door latches are those arthritis friendly ones. I just lift up and swat it with my paw and if the door opens away from me my weight swings it open. If they sliding door to the porch is left ajar I put my nose in and force my way through. However, if one of my Humans isn’t on the other side of the door I have no interest in opening it. I definitely don’t want to be outside if one of them isn’t with me.
Y’all come on back,
Hawk aka BrownDog
That is great, Hawk, that you don’t want to be outside without your humans! Sheba can also open a sliding door if she can fit her nose in there. She just likes to be outside, so luckily the only sliding door here leads to inside the dog pen.
What great memories! I can’t open a door, but I’ve been known to open the pantry cupboard where all our food is kept. ~Wally
It’s not just dogs that can be too smart for their own good! 🙂
Send us tips how to open knobs
Lily & Edward
We have round knobs, so we can’t open any doors. Cat bro Bert does open cabinet doors sometimes. It is hard to wait to get projects done that you really want. My mom gets impatient too.
We had a cat who tried to open cabinet doors too. He knew right where his food was and chose the middle of the night to try to do it…so we’d be trying to sleep and just keep hearing “bang….bang….bang….” as he couldn’t quite get it all the way open! 🙂
I love the throwback pics! It is sometimes scary how smart our dogs are! LOL!
I never thought to do this for TBT, and truthfully, I’ve never done TBT because I was usually hosting a hop. 🙂 I’ll have to try it one of these days.
We have a door to the back that hasn’t been latching well lately. The other day Delilah barked and I said to the Hubs, “How did she get outside?” Turns out, she must have pushed or swatted the door.
I’ve been so spoiled by the fenced yard, I can only imagine what a PITA it is for you to not having one. Our forecast is rain for almost the next week, I sure hope yours is different so stuff can get done for you.
I usually look for a Throwback when I’m drawing blanks on what to post, or I’m too lazy to do the research for a more involved post! 🙂
Having a fenced yard really does spoil us, doesn’t it? It was the one thing we left behind at our old house that I knew would be the most difficult. I knew we’d have one here in time, but waiting for the guys to be able to install it hasn’t been easy!
But if you see today’s post, the leash days are done because of our new door, and it looks like they are at least going to get started on fencing the yard this week! Yahoo!
There are definite advantages to having a dog who is not so smart.