I have decided to take Houdini off the adoption list and hang onto her. There’s been that voice of instinct that has been nagging at me not to let her go to a new home. Maybe she will become a solid leader like her uncle Pee Pee (stop laughing!). Or maybe it’s because she is the great-great granddaughter of Scotty – my first leader and an incredible dog.

Houdini, or Dini, as we have come to call her, is a really shy girl. Her mom was like that as a young dog until one day when she woke up and decided the world was her oyster and everyone loved her. So I fully expect Dini to do that. Last night Darrel and I thought we’d start to bring her into the house for a bit every evening to have some quality time with us. Then just before bed, she could go back outside and hang out with Tyson. Well, I went to bed first last night and when I woke up this morning I quickly realized, that for whatever reason, Darrel had left her inside.

Every morning I swing my feet over the side of the bed and into my slippers. Except this morning. That’s when it hit me. Dini – 10 months old – had my slippers. Crap! I padded on the cold floor, down the hall, and retrieved one slipper on the couch and the other one underneath it. And then I surveyed the damage:

Julbo glacier sunglasses chewed to little tiny pieces – $55

Ear buds severed into four – $19

Darrel’s underwear looking like it was attacked by savage moths – $5

Alaska magazine shredded – $7

Paper towel roll torn into a fluffy little pile – $2

Hairbrush unrecognizable – $12

So it cost us exactly $100 to have Dini as an overnight guest. That of course doesn’t include the 2 piles of poop and the little puddle on the kitchen floor.

Looks harmless doesn’t she?