To me, this photo embodies the pups' comaraderie in constant excitement with the world. Then, as I looked closer at the broken screen in the door, I remembered why it had to be covered with plexiglass...because of Laika's overzealousness!
Laika was always a certified mischief-machine. This being the 53rd story, there are plenty of examples of this which can be referenced (and plenty more to come). While she loved most people and a lot of dogs that she met, she was not friends with squirrels or cats. It was just a fact of life. Behind our apartment, there were squirrels and cats. It was her entertainment to sit in a chair and spy out of the window at their daily activities from afar.
The front of the apartment was not so different, but gave her a closer experience of cat-watching. Our neighbors had two cats that would constantly lounge on their balcony. Since the roof of the first-floor entryway bridged our balconies, they could easily come over to our side. This was fine before I took care of Laika (aside from the mountain of cat poop that I discovered close to the gutter), but after she started living in the apartment was another story.
Laika knew when one or both of the cats were on the porch. She could sense it from any part of the apartment and quickly run to the outer balcony door (as the inner door was usually open for airflow), pressing her nose forcefully against the thin screen while huffing loudly, whining and blowing snot in all directions. Her tail would stiffen, showing her anxiousness to get to the cats. (The cats, on the other hand, were unfazed by Laika as they lived with a dog that they regularly bullied.) I would usually be able to calm her down with toy or treat distractions or just by sitting with her. I was glad that I had replaced the latch on the door to prevent her from doing anything rash. However, one day, the inevitable happened...
Laika had spied the cats while my roommate Kyle and I were sitting in the living room. They were doing something that really riled her up and she was more agitated than usual, circling and whining near the door. Since I was in the room, I was able to calm her down by petting her, but she was still sitting directly next to the door on alert. I went back to sit on the couch as Laika continued to stare at the one remaining cat on the balcony ledge. Suddenly, she started shaking with anxiety and with an explosive burst she jumped through the screen! In the split second this happened, all sorts of worries sprang into my mind...Would she catch the cat? Would she jump off the roof? Would she hurt herself or the cat?
In the blink of an eye, though, Laika proved me wrong in every way. As Kyle and I jumped-up to stop her from doing something (potentially) harmful, Laika immediately sat down on the other side of the door with her head down, even though the cat was still laying in its same spot. It was as if she was sorry for her action and knew it immediately. When I opened the door, she simply walked back in and laid down on her back (which was another thing she did when she was apologizing). I was not mad and was actually impressed that she had been able to catch herself after losing control of her desire to chase, especially with the cat still in reach. Kyle was speechless, because this was not expected in the least. I praised Laika for her good behavior (even after being a screen jumper). It seemed like all of the training was paying off.
For the rest of the day, the inner balcony door remained closed to prevent any further mishaps. The next day, I went to buy a sturdy piece of plexiglass to cover the lower half of the screen that Laika had ripped during her powerful egress. This created both peace of mind for me and a nice canvas for Laika's nose-paintings! More importantly, it allowed Laika to have another window on the world. As shown in the photo, she continued her vigil for cats and other outside life even after her pal Heisa moved-in.
Given the initial spark of mischief, this episode had a very happy ending and increased my trust that Laika was learning each day, just as I was. I am really glad that I "discovered" this photo yesterday. I am still smiling every time I look at it.
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