Benny the Digging Dog

Few sights make me happier than than watching my dogs sleep.

This is especially true of my golden retriever/corgi mix, Benny. He ia about 30 pounds, and he looks like a golden retriever in the body of a corgi, short legs and all. He absolutely loves to hang out in the back yard, which I let him do as long as I am home. Although he sometimes snoozes on the artificial grass, his favorite spot in on the covered patio, against one wall of the house. It is cool and shady there.

Watching him sleep (I can see him through the door to the back yard) makes me realize that he feels safe and comfortable. Benny has been with me around 4-1/2 years, after a rather tumultuous life. He was surrendered to an animal shelter in Roswell, NM, by his family for reasons unknown. He has no bad habits. From Roswell he was pulled by a volunteer with an Albuquerque-based rescue group that keeps the animals it rescues in foster homes. Benny was in a couple of foster homes, was adopted and then returned to the group, and that is when I found him on an adoptable-pet site.  

When I inquired about him, I was told that someone who had already had a home visit wanted him. I asked to be notified if that didn't work out, and shortly after that I got the call that he was available. A volunteer came to my house for the home visit and brought Benny with her (he was called Bailey at the time, but I already had a dog named Bailey). He was to stay with me for a 2-week trial period to make sure he was a good fit with me and my other two dogs. 

Benny fit in very well, even gaining reluctant acceptance from my 14-pound papillon. So I called the volunteer and said I didn't need 2 weeks to decide; I wanted Benny to join my family. 

Benny has always been well behaved ... until a few days ago. Recently he started to dig in the dirt in one area of my back yard that is filled with a variety of flowering plants and agaves. So his days of being unsupervised in the back yard are done until I can figure out a way to keep him out of the circular area. A friend said one of her dogs does the same thing as Benny, trying to get to the small lizards that frequent the yard. We do have lizards in the yard. Benny has always loved to bury his head in the lavender plants as he looks for lizards. Until a few days ago, he never tried to dig up the yard.

I will probably have to put a fence around the area to keep the little digger out of trouble. Until then, he doesn't get to stay outside unless I am out with him. That's too bad, because he really loves to be outside.