As Megyn has shared the last couple of weeks, Strudwick’s time at the Jersey Shore this summer has been eventful. So far, he discovered an animal kingdom in the backyard of their rental property and he took an adventurous dip in the bay. Below, we are picking up the story – ahem, saga – where Megyn left off (get caught up on part I here and part II here):
…All of the antics with the animal kingdom in the backyard ignores our main source of consternation with Strud this summer: The internal destruction he is causing – not of our rental property (thankfully!), but of our belongings.
Knowing Strud as we do, we planned ahead before moving in. We had gates added to the doorway that leads to a lovely sitting room in the center of the house. This is a safe place we can put the dogs to sleep, yet still have them feel like part of the action. If we are on this floor of the house, we let them roam with no access to the upstairs. If we are out, we leave them in their sitting room.
Surprise, surprise, Canine Houdini figured a way out of the dog gates. First, he figured out how to get the doors to the gates open (above). When we reinforced the doors, he started using his body weight like a bull to ram the entire gate out of the doorway. It being a rental, we are using pressurized gates rather than drilling holes into the walls. Ha! As if that would stop Strud.
Fans of Strudwick will remember the number of measures we took to stop him from getting into our kitchen for his favorite activity of counter-surfing at home in Connecticut – all of which failed and resulted in us installing special barn doors to keep him in the mud room when we are cooking (above).
Well, here he continues to escape… and then cause damage. So far, he has eaten two chicken cutlets, an avocado, and half of a broccoli-cheese casserole off the counter. My brother and his wife came for a few days and remarked that Strud – who is very cute, sweet and snuggly when he is tired (below) – really didn’t seem that naughty.
The joke was on them because Strud promptly proceeded to eat my sister-in-law’s toiletry case, including her moisturizers and facial products (below).
Soon after, our friend John and his daughter came by and Strud pulled the same act – so loving, easy-to-be-with, and adorable, and then BAM! Right when your guard is down, he strikes.
He got into John’s backpack and ate right through the internal liner, gobbling up whatever snacks were in there and severing his headphones with ease (below).
I wish I could tell you the shenanigans end here, but you know as well as I do that they do not. Check back next week for part IV of Strud’s Summer Saga.
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