IT'S ALL FUN AND GAMES UNTIL SOMEBODY PUTS THE DOG OUT.

You may have wondered about the curious stillness in the usually bustling DogSpot.

First, I should tell you that the silence would continue, except that my friend Pete is recovering from surgery and needs all the entertainment he can get. And believe me, the activity behind DogSpot silence has been entertaining. So I'm going to post it in spite of the fact that it will get BoggleDog not adopted in a hurry.

Padget (aka Little Demon) is, I think, part Border Collie and part Beagle. The former is without a doubt. The latter I concluded by considering short legs, long body, strong nose and stubborn adherence to whatever Padget has in mind at any given time. In this picture, she is saying, "What do you mean, you want me to stay? Do you not know who I am?"

Let's start with Day 1.

Padget came with instructions: she will poop in her crate and pee in the house. And me, ever the optomist: "Oh, I can fix that. She just needs someone with her all the time to keep an eye on her."

She arrived about 6:30 in the evening. Between then and bedtime, Padget and I made at least ten long and unfruitful trips to the giant outdoor toilet, each of which produced nary a drop, liquid or solid, from Padget's stubborn little back end. I put her to bed in a crate just big enough for Padget. 12:30 and 2:30 a.m. trips outside were uneventful. And of course I slept right through the 5:30 trip, during w hich Padget finally gave in and filled the crate.

Padget: 1 (and 2). Maggie - 0.