Teach an old dog new tricks...

I thought we were doing the right thing by teaching our seven year old lab to open the screen door from the outside to come inside the house.  I failed to teach her how to close the door after she came inside.  However, that is a different dilemma.  Our lab has become so proficient in opening not just the screen door, but every door in our home (using her strong nose, of course) that it has almost become a problem.  For example, when I suddenly feel the cold air rushing into the bathroom while i'm taking a shower, it is not fun to have to get out of the shower and shut the door after our dog has entered the room and lied down on the bath mat.  While I enjoy the company and protection of my lab, I am ok being in the bathroom without her.  Our bathroom door does not lock, otherwise the would keep her out.  We now let her outside the house and if the door (screen or heavy glass door) is closed, when she is ready to re-enter our home, she comes inside.  Now this is nice, because our dog likes to yelp- loudly- when she's ready to come inside and this alleviates all the noise.  Older dogs can learn new tricks and pick them up quickly... and use those tricks for other sources.  Way to go!

Traveling to China

I am traveling to Taiwan and China over the next month.  If you'd like to follow along on the journey, i've created another blog just for the trip:  http://travelwithrs.blogspot.com
Enjoy!