She's Lucky She So Damned Cute

Yesterday, our new dog Betty decided to take herself on a little adventure. She escaped from the back yard somehow (no doubt by jumping up repeatedly at the side gate until she accidentally unlatched it)...all I know is that when I looked out to check on her, as I do every ten minutes or so when she's outside, she was gone and the gate was open. Immediate panic...I checked all the sides of the house real quick, to no avail...when she gets out, she's gone. So, I jumped on my bike and rode around the neighborhood, jingling her leash so as to get her attention. I must've been out there for an hour, and I didn't see the slightest sight of her. I was beginning to panic...we have busy, four-lane roads on three sides of our neighborhood, and she's just dumb enough to run out into traffic and get herself flattened. In fact, after awhile, I was becoming more and more certain that this indeed had happened, and as I turned every corner I expected to see her lying in the road. Morbid, I know.

I was pissed...our other dog, Puck, knows how good he has it, and feels no compulsion to try to escape every chance he gets...I began to think if she wants out so bad, then just stay the hell out, and spare me the trouble. The problem with Betty is, she's kinda like a wild animal, in that she feels no shame or fear...hse's sweet and loving, but ultimately, she's looking out for number one. Whoever had her before we did must have done almost nothing in the way of training.

Anyway, Puck and I did a wider search in the car, checking out a couple of the surrounding neighborhoods, but after two hours of fruitless searching, I gave up. I figured either she'd find her way home or she wouldn't...and I wanted to be near the phone in case someone found her (her phone number's on her tag).

Then, all of a sudden, there she is, strolling around in the front yard of the house across the street under the giant magnolia tree. I went out on the front porch and barked "Betty!", and she ran to me, then into the house, immediately gulping down an entire bowl of water. She was filthy, covered in...something. It was kinda sticky, but not stinky, maybe mud or god knows what. I dragged her outside and hosed her down, her second bath in less than a week. I while I was still pretty pissed that she'd run away, I have to admit I was happy to see her. Happy enough, anyway, that I didn't throttle her. She's lucky she's so damned cute.

EDIT: Sean, in the comments section, rightly points out that you really can't talk about how cute the dog is without at least showing a few pictures. Noted. So, at the risk of becoming one of "those" bloggers, here's a few pics of Black Betty, uncharacteristically at rest. For a more illustrative glimpse into the True Betty Experience, check out this l'il bit of video, captured by the Sassy Redhead on a girls-only trip to North Carolina back in March.