You guys were so awesome last week. This is what I love about blogging; I can put my problems out there and get actual solutions and support. It’s wonderful.

Here’s a picture of Sam, listening to the new Cyndi Lauper album:

A couple people commented on last week’s post with a couple helpful suggestions/questions. And like any good religion and philosophy major, I’m going to mostly answer your questions with more questions.

My good friend Ryan said this:

He actually has one. Last summer he dug up one of the beautiful hydrangeas right outside our sun room, an infraction for which he received no punishment, as I figured – he’s a dog. He’s going to dig. So I let him dig there. We did have a mishap with that plan this year, as it seemed Sam had lost interest in the plot and I put a flower pot in it. He immediately went and started digging in the garden. I took the flower pot away, and while Sam showed no further interest in the little hydrangea bed, at least it stopped him digging in the garden. Which leads to Paddy’s comment:

A dog run is a good idea; I’m going to look into that. The garden is fenced off, but the fencing is very short, as I think anything much taller would block off the limited light my little vegetable patch already gets. As it is, Sam’s really good about staying out of there. The other day – this is too cute not to share – he was walking on the pathway that leads around the garden, and for a second he lifted his foot and held it over the boundary of the vegetable patch, let it hover there for a second, and then set it back down outside the boundary. You could see the wheels turning in his head – “Oh, wait, this is not a good idea.” He’s really, really smart about staying out of there. Mostly.

As for the whining at night, well, the dog has separation anxiety. He just does, and I’m not sure what to do about it, which is where you guys come in. Reader TKG had this to say:

We’ve thought about letting Sam sleep in the bedroom, but the simple, shallow fact is that he’s a very stinky dog. He gets regular baths and haircuts and is mostly an indoor dog, but nothing seems to eliminate the fact that our dog smells bad and my husband has a superhuman sense of smell that wouldn’t let him sleep anywhere within 10 feet of Sam’s enchanting musk. As for the spanking thing – that’s literally the third time he’s gotten spanked. It doesn’t happen often, and it’s never very hard.

Also, TKG, I figured you out. Good to “see” you.