Bow Wow Wow, Yipee Yo, Yipee Yay: An Ethical Dilemma

Winston is deceptive. Even from his beginnings and when set against his four brothers, he has played the role of the aloof and disinterested canine...until you turn your back. He is like the kid who pinches his sibling when no one is looking and then quietly smirks to himself as his sibling gets in trouble for causing a raucous. (Winnie is the one with the eye patch).

As he grew into the handsome man that he is, we always assumed he was the brawny, brainless accomplice to Isabel while she would shoulder the blame for all of their naughtiness. She seemed at least 50% more intelligent than him and is certainly the ALPHA dog in the relationship.

After COUNTLESS excursions resulting in $ vet bills, $ dog pound bills, lots of ruined plans and sleepless nights, we began to feel like the scale which weighs "my dog child" vs. "an animal which I pay lots of money to feed" was beginning to tip! We had realized that Winnie was actually the secret instigator in each of these incidences. Despite a shock collar, a chain link fence, an electric fence, and finally the last resort-a sharp parting with his manhood, he would still make his way through (when we weren't looking) and take Izzy with him to get into all sorts of trouble. Most of the time, we would discover Winnie's (Izzy would return home when she got sick of him) whereabouts on Craigslist or the pound's website. Once we'd get him home again, he would usually look something like this:

The prospect of a lone night in freezing temperatures wouldn't even slow him down during past winters. He would just shovel through the snow with his big mouth and continue to do what he does best:

Well, this summer as I was right on the verge of letting my exasperation get the better of my tender feelings for him, we discovered the solution: As Cesar the Dog Whisperer would suggest-"put him to work!" The Doggie Backpack. He now makes a fabulous trail running partner & we are so pleased.