Jingle Bells!

I hung some chimes from our back door.  A few weeks ago I started taking Chesney's nose and hitting the bells every time I take her out...

She understands what they're for, but I must say I don't think she likes them.  I think they are too jingly and perhaps hurt her ears...I suggested we buy a buzzer for her to press...Studmuffin scoffed at placing a doorbell inside the house for the dog.  All I'm sayin' is that I need something that is easily heard, so that I'm not cleaning puppy messes up off the floor all the time.

A few nights ago she rang the bells.  Brent took her out and she did her business.

He brought her back in, and a few minutes later she rang them again...

He let her out and she chased Freckles off of the back porch and up a tree...

And she came back to the door and scratched...

So he let her back in...

She trotted into the kitchen, found nothing of interest and came back to plop down in the living room next to Brent...After a few minutes she got BACK up, went back to the kitchen, sniffed around and then came right back to lay beside Brent...She did this a few more times...

Then one time after leaving the kitchen, she went over to the door and rang the chimes...

Brent sighed and got up to put her back out... And she immediately ran over to the outdoor water bowl and took a big long drink!

You see, every night an hour or so before bedtime, Brent takes her water away, so he won't have to get up with her during the night...

But apparently chasing kittens is thirsty work, and if she couldn't have a drink from the kitchen, she'd just get it from her bowl outside...

I am afraid this dog is too smart for us...

Last Sunday Popcorn let the dogs in while we were still in bed (after we had turned them both out for their 5am ablutions which really means we kick them out and go back to bed)  She was watching TV...

We heard the chimes faintly ring...

We didn't hear the door open...

Brent got up to check on what was up, and sure enough!  Chesney had peed on the dining room floor!

Oh joy.

It seems that she rang the bell so softly, and since she had just came from outside Popcorn could not be bothered to climb out from under her fleece blanket to turn her back out...She didn't think she "really needed to go."

I tried not to scream...And sort of succeeded...

"Well next time, even if you don't think she SHOULD need to go, could you just put her out anyway, PLEASE?"

"Sure thing, Mom!"  And she happily resumed watching the Munsters on Netflix.