Admittedly, Dooley is a troublesome dog, which is the reason he was on the back porch in the first place: He yelps incessantly when not amused, and I’m within hearing distance.  Even after he has been walked (or let out to do his business) and fed (sometimes at 5 in the morning), about five minutes later he starts barking again.  I’ve tried spraying his face with water as his obedience class dog trainer suggested, but this eventually looses its effectiveness.  Ideally, I should walk him more than I do, but that’s hard to do during the work week, when the weather is bad, or if I’m not feeling well.

My shortcomings admitted, I confess I probably didn’t lavish enough attention on Dooley Sunday afternoon.  Even so, I was somewhat surprised that Dooley had escaped through a torn screen on the back porch into a yard that is surrounded by a sturdy chain-linked fence. As a very small Yorkie puppy, he could easily squeeze underneath the gate, but at 15-pounds, this would be difficult for either a Yorkie morphed into a silky-terrier or a Yorkie-something mix to do.

I am thankful, however, that Dooley’s dog tag, complete with his name and my telephone number, worked.  Some authorities believe that having the dog’s name on the tag makes it easier for dog nappers to make off with a dog, but they also make it easier for concerned neighbors to control a dog who comes when called.  Of course, more permanent forms of identification, such as tattooing and microchipping are available, but they do have some drawbacks:  A tattoo requires a really permanent form of identification, such as a Social Security number, not a good choice in an age of identity theft.  A microchip also only sends a signal identifying a dog through a national registry if a scanning device is available.  

Image via Wikipedia

I’ve resolved to keep Dooley’s tag current the next time I move because I know that he’s adventurous enough to escape again.  Meanwhile, I need to get the screen on the back porch fixed and count my blessings:  Dooley’s great adventure left him so tired that he has hardly barked at all tonight. Now if I could only conquer his fear of the dark.  I’d like to know about your techniques for controlling a yelping dog, so please leave a comment.