Somebody young was traipsing through the muddy backyard of our home in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood during this holiday week and then heard visitors arrive inside.
They wanted in. Badly.
But they couldn’t quite figure out how to work the tricky handle of the French door.
Fast work around the door handle after some backyard play in Syracuse, N.Y.
We did not have a toddler visiting for Christmas.
We did have Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle pining to see the kids. I swear she’s going to figure out how to open that door before too long.
Do you have a pet who yearns to do something you judge as strictly human, and if so, what? Do you have a pet trying to do something you do not want it do do, and if so, what and why? What’s the wildest thing your pet has ever done?
Mark Bialczak 
Before you know it, you’ll be having dog parties in the basement with loud music and water everywhere. 🙂
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Ha! Who’s been into my stash of kibble while I’ve been gone, Ellie B?! Good one, Cat. 🙂
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I’m sure he will figure that door out soon enough.
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I hope not, Kim. She’s a smart one, but I don’t want her opening the back door in the winter time. 🙂
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Yes, I have a cat who is very much like your Ellie B, and she attempts to open the doorknob when she wants in or out of a room. The other four are not as smart, and they just cry, but Cleo is one smart cookie. 😉
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Why shouldn’t your doggie feel the right to open doors like a people?
Cute post, and comments.
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Thanks, OB. Ellie B has not yet figured out the second part of her name, aka Dogamous Pyle. She thinks she is a people person.
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We’re waiting for our two cats – Jean-Louis and Reggie – to discover how to turn on the tap water and how to open the cat food cans on their own. Then they will only needs us for catering services. 😉
Thank you, Mark, for being my top commenter in 2014. (Just got WordPress’ annual report.) You were numero uno in more ways than one in my book. 😉
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Dave reminded me of one trick our grandpuppy has done. Riley knows how to open the windows in the back of our car. So, now, I have to lock the passenger seat windows to prevent any accidents when he’s with us. 😉
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That’s impressive! I’ve never had pets that were smart enough to try things like that… just a dog who burrowed a cave underneath a deck once, and various cats who yearned to fight with coyotes over the years.
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I think a cave-burrowing dog is pretty dang precocious. Dave. Did the dog wear one of those really cool miner hats with the flashlight beams over the eyes for better working conditions? Cats who want to tangle with coyotes, now that sounds like they were getting into the sauce.
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Oscar insists on sleeping with his head on my pillow. His snoring sounds human…
This made me laugh, Chum. She’s gonna master the doorknob, I know it.
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Pity Oscar the allergy-ridden pug. Until sleepyttime, that is. 🙂 Yes, Aud, Ellie B will learn how to get in when she wants in, even during winter. Now she commands me to get up with a bossy “Woof.”
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Pets are funny. Our cat tries to open doors, too. I love how curious she is–getting into things that she has no way of getting herself out of. Though I think cats are more low-key than dogs. Your Ellie B has gotten herself into some crazy scrapes, I’m sure!
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Ellie B and skunks. I need not say more. That’s what we all can’t get out of once she gets into it. Oh, and the gopher swinging from her neck by its teeth. Yikes, Liz!
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Ouch!! Poor pup!
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Ths stink lingered for half a year, despite repeated Nature’s Miracle dousings, baths, Dawn rinses … Oh, OB it was awful, this hit. Yes, THIS hit.
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Awe that is so sweet you need to set a camcorder up lol x
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Nanny Cam? No need. Ellie B Doggy Cam, yes indeed! Good idea, Justine.
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haha yes x
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A Mr. Clean scrubbing pad will clean that up in 5 seconds.
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MDW Karen took care of it, Kerbey. She knows the ways. 🙂
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Hilarious! I don’t have any particularly good stories on my two fur babies, although they have pretty good vocabularies. I do have an excellent story on my dad’s dog, who is quite a piece of work. His name is Sampson, but I call him Houdini. Unfortunately, that’s an entire blog post, maybe several. Super unfortunately, my father has expressly forbidden me to talk about it on my blog, although I always tell it at parties. We’ll see how long I hold out.
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You are welcome to tell it on my blog, Wormy, bending but not breaking your word do your father … 🙂
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hahaha – it’s only a matter of time, mark! nacho the cat, used his paw, while standing on this two back legs, to open the door underneath my bathroom sink. he then walked in, checked it out, and left – too boring i suppose, but i was left laughing )
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Yeah, That Darn Cat, was the movie, wasn’t it, Beth? Nice move, Nacho. I like the way he nonchalantly departed, too. 🙂
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Your four-year-old must have visited my house, because our door looks just like yours!
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The pets know the ins and outs, don’t they, Barb? Happy mud pigs, all of them, too. 🙂
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Oh oh! This can happen no matter who or their age, Mark. Don’t “ground” the sweetie! We had a dog who would leave prints in funny places but was really a good dog, Toby would get his leash and leave it by your feet. Sometimes, (operative word: sometimes!) Toby would sit nicely and wait for his walk!
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Ellie B did not get in any trouble for this, Robin. No worries. 🙂
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Mark, my dog used to pick up his empty food and water dishes and drop them at my feet! haha
Diana xo
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No confusing that smart dog’s message, Diana! I am getting good at Ellie B’s different tones of woof, too. 🙂
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oops …. ELLIE B
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Our study door has French door handles, very beautiful mind you. Our study is off limits to our cats due to the mountains of papers in there and cats will do things with papers that you would rather they would not. We have Cuddles who knows how to open this door. So we had to take off the door handle that is on the front of the door which now prevents him from getting in. The handle remains on the inside of the door and when he is in the study with hubby, when he is ready, he just lets himself out. LOL True story. So, if our Cuddles can open doors, sorry to tell ya, your Ella B wil be able to as well. (((HUGS)) Cousin to the East! Love, Amy
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Oh, wonderful news for you to deliver, Amy! I will have to teach her how to close the door behind her. (See ESN’s comment about his cat Ody above.) Thanks cousin to the West. Happy New Year stretch, 🙂
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I thought you would appreciate that tidbit of information. *giggling* No problem, counsin to the East. Glad to have been of assistance. 🙂
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Ha! You know Mark, if that door hadn’t been locked, I would guess from the marks that whoever was trying to get in would have succeeded. Ha! It’s great to see Ellie B wants to greet visitors. I’m sure it’s a confusing time of year for many animals as their homes are invaded by visitors and small children with a lot of excitement. and a tree inside the house and flashing lights and decorations. How has Ellie been with the season’s challenges?
Although my parents bred labs when I was young – most of my exerience with pets have been cats. They all have distinct personalities including little eccenticities. We had one cat – Sissy – who loved mechano sets. If you built, say a flat topped wagon with wheels on it, she would sit on the wagon and with her right rear leg would propell herself across the room until she hit the wall. Then she would get off and sit beside the wagon until you turned it around and she would then reboard and drive back across the room. She would do this for quite a while before getting bored and moving on. Ha! The trick impressed visitors.
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Since it is just my dear wife Karen and I in the Little Bitty, Paul, we only have a little shelf-top tree. No Ellie B problems there.
I also would have been impressed with Sissy’s motoring abilitities, my friend!
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I do not like cats, as a rule, but I wish I had known Sissy. Amazing, Paul.
For a cat, especially ; )
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You’d’ve liked Sissy OB, she was just like a dog. She’d would come when called, follow you around, get involved in whatever you were doing, sleep with her head on the pillow. Cool cat.
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She sounds WONDERFUL. I would like all cats, if they were like that: To be doggish, but have a cat’s face, and fur? Niiiice.
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Many years ago we had a dog that didn’t even try to open the French door. In warm weather when he wanted out he would just jump through the screen. He was quite a dog,just impatient.
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Ellie B has the fine art of screen door crashing down pat, too, Benson. 🙂
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My cat Ody is very good at closing doors in my house. However, he has yet to learn the fine art of opening doors, which has led him to trap himself in my bedroom on numerous occasions, including once while I was at work. That doesn’t stop him from continuing to shut the door for privacy when he wants it…
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He probably closes himself in at the beginning of your shift, too, Bill. I hope Ody is comfortable and not shifty when he’s in there. Animals have a harder time with the opening mechanisms. I think door makers let us humans just “slam shut.”
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Many years ago when I had my fence put up the fence company told me to use butterfly gate latches because dogs could not open them. Well… my chocolate lab could open them!
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Too smart for their own good and your own good, PJ. I am just waiting for Ellie B to get the hang of this handle. Karen is going to be tired of cleaning the door, too. 🙂
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LOL!
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