The Rowdster

Our dog "Rowdy' has been a fairly good dog.  He has a problem though.  He likes to run away.  It started a few years ago when he was just about two years old.  (He's 4 now I think).  Rowdy was growing up and his hormones were getting the best of him.  We didn't have any other dogs to 'play' with so......he went and found some.  He would first go to our neighbors just a few miles away.  Then he just kept going and ended up 7 miles away in Clifton.  We then heard that Rowdy was a daddy.  The problem though out all of this is Rowdy doesn't know how to come home.  It's a one way trip for him.  It was becoming a huge problem for he would run around Clifton all day and go to the school and play with the kids at recess.  The school would call and say they had a visitor and chuckled for it was funny that our dog would 'follow' the kids to school and play with them.  Then it became not so funny.  The school would call and say 'your dog is here again, could you please come and get him?  He's jumping on all the little kids'.  (It was a grade school)  So we started chaining him up at night for that was when he'd leave.  That worked for awhile.  But Rowdy is not a dumb dog.  He learned how to pull that 'choke' chain right off.  And then off he went.  And then off we'd go to town to pick that lil' rascal up. 

We then decided in his best interest to have him 'fixed' thinking this was the whole problem.  For you know once you get the taste of something you can't get enough.  :)  And, since he had a few pups to call him dad, we didn't feel like we were depriving him of anything.  So Rowdy became an 'it' and Rowdy STAYED HOME.  For about six months that is. 

One day it all changed.  He was in the house on the back porch (this was a 'no-no' for him) and one of the boys was reaching up in the closet for a baseball bat because they wanted to play ball.  Any smart mom keeps those kinds of things out of sight for you don't ever want your boys to have fights and anyway you get the picture.  So as he was reaching for the bat it ended up falling down from the top of the closet and landed right square on Rowdy's nose.  Poor thing yelped and ran off.   We didn't see him the rest of the day.  In fact we didn't see him again until we drove to Clifton to pick him up the next day.  And then it started all over again.

He's found several 'new' homes to stay at over the last few years.  But recently he has found a really kind gentle older lady to pester.  She really likes him and she told me so and she also told me that she'll leave food out for him.  (might be part of the problem?)  He is a really nice dog.  But he is a large dog and has a tendency to almost knock kind gentle older ladies over while he's trying to get into her house.  **sigh**  Sure hope I've taught my boys better than I have this darn dog of ours. 

So we are at the point of what do we do with this dog?  Cowboy doesn't believe in chaining a dog up all day for what is the point of having a dog?  We got a new chain, collar and spike to use and he's now being guarded very closely.  We've let him off the last few days for it's so hot.  But we decided we'll have to chain him up alllll day since we can't always remember to chain him up before bed so he won't take off again at dawn.   Does anyone want a really nice, friendly, neutered dog who loves to have his tummy scratched? 

I forgot to mention how Rowdy got his name.  His full name is actually 'Rowdy Raymond Pfizenmaier'.  Which actually happens to be the name that Cowboy wanted to name his last boy we had.  I just really had a hard time naming my child 'Rowdy'.  It was ok until a nurse at the hospital told me the name of her dog was 'Rowdy' and then the fact that he might live up to the name really made me think about it.  So we decided to use Grady Griffin for our last boy and save the name Rowdy in case we had another baby by accident some day.  :)  The middle name Raymond actually goes really well with the name 'Rowdy' for that's the name of my rowdy father! :)  Love ya dad!!

He really really is a sweet dog.  We would really love to find a new home for him.  I don't think he'd run off from your house for once he gets somewhere....he doesn't leave!  He's half border collie and half Australian Shepard.  He makes a good guard dog, that is when he's here to guard the house.  We always know when someone is coming down the drive or the cows are out. 
Think about it......