Escape artist

There's the old saw: If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Similarly, if a dog escapes from his gated area and there is no human to say "no, no, NO, come back here," does the mess he made really exist? Does the dog not care if there is no thrill of doing something naughty and getting caught doing it?

Deep philosophical thoughts, eh? This is what prompted such musings. Lloyd took me out to dinner to celebrate my birthday, and as we walked up to the front door, he said: "Oh, he's there waiting to meet us."

It finally dawned on me that the "he" he was referring to was Dieter. There he was, standing by the front door, wagging his tail, and grinning. Someone (nameless at this point, but I have a prime suspect) didn't latch the gate again. And the ever-vigilant Dieter tested the gate and discovered it hadn't been latched properly. 

Figuring how to get on the side where the
cat food lives

All the cat food has been devoured, one cat food bowl is still unaccounted for, there were wash clothes strewn about, and an empty container that needed to go into the recycling turned up in the upstairs hall. 

There was no sign of the cats at first, but Mimsy finally appeared. So at least I know she wasn't eaten. No sign of Rory yet, but I'm pretty sure he's still extant, as well.

I guess Dieter was decorating for my birthday. "I'll bet mom would like some washcloths and such artfully arranged." But all in all, there wasn't much destruction. So I guess he has finally grown up.

But now all I can think of is this: I just hope he doesn't do more decorating after eating all that dry cat food!

Oh, and this just in: Rory is alive and well, too. The cats are complaining bitterly about the emptiness of their bowls, too. That soon will be rectified. And the missing cat food bowl showed up in the family room, where Dieter had also removed the dowel rod/security bar for the sliding door. Trying to make it easier for robbers maybe or hoping he could practice his home security skills that way? Now that would have made a mess!