Jackie and Angel's First Adventure in the New House

When Jackie and Angel were little, we allowed them to sleep in the bed with us. As they got bigger my wife felt they should sleep on the floor in our room. Angel didn't have a problem with that idea, but it took a few nights before Jackie got used to the idea, but she ultimately did, and all was well.

Jackie, Angel, and I get up at least an hour and a half earlier than my wife during the work week, and probably an hour earlier on the weekends. During the week I take the dogs out of our room, and give them their breakfast. On the weekends they are usually up by six, and usually get pretty restless. When we lived in our condo it seemed every little sound in the neighborhood was amplified, and that of course would set off lots of barking from Angel and Jackie. That in turn would disturb my wife and me as we tried to sleep in.

Part of the allure of buying a house was that we thought Jackie and Angel would be able to sleep in another room away from our bedroom. That way they wouldn't prematurely wake either my wife or me, and we could therefore sleep better and longer. And so on the very first night in our new home, that is exactly what they did. But not for long.

We decided to have Angel and Jackie sleep in what we refer to as the "Party Room". It is an addition to the original house that is quite large and clear across the house from our bedroom. The Party Room connects to the kitchen, which leads to the entryway, from which extends a hallway that branches off to the four bedrooms. We figured it would be the perfect place for the dogs because it is far enough away from our room that we wouldn't be subjected to their whining protests the first few nights, and because we can close them in the Party Room by way of a pocket door. The party room is also carpet free, a benefit should there be any accidents.

That first night we put Angel and Jackie in the Party Room with their pillows, and closed the pocket door. Just down the hallway, up from our bedroom, is a door that shuts off the rest of the house from the bedrooms, so we closed that too, and then retired to our own room for our first night's sleep in our new home.

All went surprising well, at least at first it did. Although there was the expected crying and door scratching, it all seemed to settle down after a while, and I started to have hope that this arrangement just might work out. I even got up a few times during the night and checked on them, (stealthily, of course,) and didn't hear a peep. I would discover later it was most likely because they were plotting their nefarious plans for escape.

At around 4am I awoke Jacqueline's signature squealing. It is a pathetic little cry intended to wrench even the most chilly of hearts, and is to my ears what a newborn's cries are to it's mother's. Before I knew what I was doing, I leaped out of bed, and let me tell you at my age, and with my body, that is quite the accomplishment, and rushed down the hall.

As I approached the hallway door, and a more lucid state, I realized what had happened. When I finally opened the hallway door, and saw my two little dogs standing there wagging their happy tails at me, my suspicions were confirmed. A breakout had taken place.

I walked back to the Party Room and found the pocket door slid back to just about Angel size. I figure that Jackie kept working the door until a gap presented itself between the door and the door frame, and she slipped in her paw and slid the door open just enough to get out. Angel was most likely hot on her trail. (I credit Jackie for the breakout not because I think she is the brains of their little gang of two, but because she is the more persistent.)

From there they found their way through their new house to the hallway door, which they had determined to lay in the path between them, and their mommy and daddy. Jackie then turned on the waterworks to alert me, knowing I would come running once I heard her cries.

After we all had walked back to the scene of the crime, (because they now follow me around the new house like little ducklings following their mother,) we all shambled back down the hall and into our new bedroom.

They have slept there with us ever since.

So there you go, yet another fascinating entry in The Adventures of Jackie and Angel. Please also check out the Carnival of the Dogs at Mickey's Musings, and the Friday Ark at The Modulator for more interesting animals.

Posted by Jeff at December 29, 2006 8:31 AM