Sunday, July 11, 2010

Stranded

There are very few things that Red Rocket cannot do with three legs.  He can run.  He can jump.  He can climb the stairs.  But the one thing he is unable to accomplish is getting back down the stairs after he has ascended them.  He can do one or two steps, but anything more is mission impossible.  This isn't really a problem in our ranch style house because he is content to stay on the living level and he knows that if I go to the basement to throw in a load of laundry or get a toy for Edward that I will be right back up.  At Grandma and Grandpa's house, however, where the bedrooms and guest bathroom are upstairs, it's a different scenario.  It's not a problem when we're in the house.  If we go upstairs to get something and he follows us we just scoop him up as we start down the steps and take him with us.  The problem is when we leave the house to go to the lake or into town.  Inevitably, Red Rocket, even though he sees us leave, decides to either look for us or look for trouble when we're gone and scales the long staircase and gets stuck.  In the great echoing silence of the empty house he whines and whines for someone to come and get him.  But we are gone.  And he is stranded.  And so he urinates and defecates all over the top landing of the stairs out of anger and frustration.  When we arrive home, we are greeted with high-pitched Red Rocket wailing.  He is rescued.  He is bathed (because he has been wallowing in his self-imposed litter box).  The floor is cleaned.  Life is good again.  Until he gets stuck next time... 

2 comments:

  1. Why not just block the stair from RR when you leave?

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  2. Oh we've tried that! Remember this is the dog who scaled a 4 foot pile of laundry, opened a closet door and ripped through two shopping bags to acquire a small chocolate bar so a box or a baby gate means nothing to him!

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