Sally in The MIX

Monday, August 22, 2016

My Bad Penny

“Are you sure?”

“You really don’t want that dog!”

“NEVER adopt a mini-pin!”

That was the advice I was given when that little chestnut red miniature pincher walked into my life. Funny thing, she walked in through the back door at my workplace. The back door had been left open. So the little mini-pin just walked in. And scampered right back out after all we dog lovers tried to catch her. First thing to learn about a mini-pin – They are extremely agile and hard to catch.

So I called Sallisaw’s animal control officer, Randy F. Turned out Randy F. had been trying to catch this mini-pin for days. We told him about her last sighting, and I told him if he could catch her, I wanted her. I thought mini-pins were just the cutest things ever!

Randy F. gave me that doubtful, eyebrows up look, then grinned. “O.K.,” he said. Turned out not only had he been trying to catch this mini-pin, he’d been trying to get rid of her too. While in custody, she had been turned over to a foster family, who promptly unfostered her. Turns out mini-pins have personality deluxe, and if you are not prepared, you will pay, and pay, and pay.

It took Randy and several police officers to catch the mini-pin, who was promptly delivered to me. And then the animal control officer quickly left the building.

I told some friends I had adopted a mini-pin. One, who does dog grooming, told me straight out, “You DON’T WANT a min-pin. They’re crazy.”

She was so right.

My mini-pin, all 12 pounds of her, tore my drapes in half, knocked over all my house plants, and actually broke two windows to escape. When she kept escaping, I sort of gave up on her. ‘Fine,’ I thought. ‘Go live somewhere else.’

But she kept coming back, and so she was named The Bad Penny.

Now just known as Penny, she has also been the subject of so many of these columns, readers ask about her health, not mine! But that’s OK. I have come to love my Penny.

With age, Penny appeared to have settled down. Or so I thought. Oops.

The recent spate of really hot Oklahoma weather prompted my family to install a much bigger air conditioner in my window. Thank you Darling Daughter. It works great!

Then Penny found the flimsy little fans on the sides of the air conditioner. Uh, the other air conditioner had the same sort of fans. What happened!?!

And Penny escaped. Penny’s a house dog for her own safety. She’s not allowed to run freely. Never mind what I think. Penny figured out how to open an AC fan last week, jumped the five feet to the ground, and apparently had a great day running around the neighborhood.

I was astounded when I came home and found her outside. Had the house been burglarized? Nope. Just Penny escaping, again. And she had not the slightest intent of letting me catch her and bring her in. I figured out you just leave the door open, and when Penny wants to come home, she does.

The next day, I piled heavy weights in front of the fans to block Penny’s new escape route. Came home that night to a happy Penny running around the yard again. All the weights were laying in the floor.

Hum. Stacked tall, skinny cartons of Pepsi in front of the AC, and blocked them in place with dining room chairs. Came home that night to find chairs on floor, Pepsi cartons torn to shreds, and Pepsi cans punctured by tiny mini-pin teeth, and empty. Apparently Penny needed a soda pop so she could continue her great outdoor adventures.

Hum. I gave up, sort of. I just leave the AC fan open now when leaving the house so Penny can have her day out. But I am determined not to be out-foxed by a mini-pin. So, I have bought lumber and long screws to board up the sides of air conditioner. Hopefully my Bad Penny will not be able to chew her way through solid wood.

But then I wonder, shouldn’t such a tiny free spirit be allowed to run free? Perhaps I should use the lumber to build Penny a staircase out of and into the window. I’ll think about it.

What’s there to think about? My back door will always be left open for My Bad Penny.

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