Doggie Madness!

I have a very bad dog. Well actually the problem is that he is a really clever bad dog. Poochie is a two year old beagle and he is as energetic and mischievous as when he was a puppy. I swear this dog has a sixth sense if there is a door open or a gate ajar, he just knows and makes a break for it. He also tests the gates to see if he can push them open or squirm under them. This weekend he "escaped" four times! He likes to roam the neighborhood looking for dogs to play with. A neighbor one street over brought him back twice. They have a dog too and apparently Poochie likes to sneak in their backyard and play. Then yesterday afternoon I received a voicemail from a lady that said she had just found him and that he was the cutest little beagle she had ever seen. I called her right back but she didn't pick up. Krysta (who had left the gate open) was given the task of calling her back every five minutes till she picked up. Apparently since we didn't pick up when she first called she thought that meant she got a free dog and didn't want to bring him back. She had even gone to Pet Smart for supplies. This all happened within the space of half an hour. Eventually, she was "convinced" that she should bring him back. So he came back the same way he always does with his ears drooping and his tail between his legs like he's a six year old who has been made to stand in the corner. Then by happenstance I opened the front door and our neighbors huge bulldog came walking in the door. I chased him around the living room and finally shooed him out the door and as I was trying to close the door behind him Poochie made a dash for it. Again. So there I was chasing this incorrigible mut down. Again. Our neighbors must thing we are crazy and maybe they are right................