Escapade...

Oh Mon Hanky.

If you don't know, that's my darling (I'm sure everyone else thinks it's annoying) nickname for our German Shepherd, Hank. He's quite the guy...a very expressive face, with chocolate brown eyes and a goofy, smiling mouth. And he's all black, so now that we finally have some snow I can see him...as opposed to before, when he'd blend into the night on our 10 pm runs. Hank is close to nine months now, and I never knew I'd enjoy having a dog so much! Sure, he's a lot of work. And he's cost us a lot...in addition to his toys, food, surgery and silly vet visits, he got hold of Trav's brother's very expensive pair of ski goggles...I think we still owe him $150. Eek. At least he gets along with my cat Saku. They have some epic battles that are just so damn cute!

Anyway, Hank has escaped out of our yard before. Our renter downstairs sometimes forgets to latch our gate. One morning at around 8:30 last month we got a call from a youngish girl who had Hank in her car on Whyte Avenue! Apparently he traveled ten blocks or so, crossing Connors Road during rush hour, and ended up in Strathearn Drive! I almost had a heart attack.

So needless to say, since then we've all been very careful of shutting the gate properly. Or at least I have! This morning I stepped out the door to let Hank warm up in the house after his usual breakfast. I called him and no answer. I assumed he fell asleep in the garage because he tends to do that...especially after he eats. But he wasn't coming...even though I could hear the jingle jangle of his collar. Was he under a snowpile or what? Finally, I ran around the corner, and the gate pushed open, and he popped his head in! Hank escaped again...this time though he managed to push the gate open even after Trav fixed it to always rest closed. 

So we need to remind everyone to watch that gate and latch it up. Especially since our dog is more curious than our cat.

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Money is still a bit of a worry for me. My saving plan isn't working out too well as there's been a few unexpected costs...a car battery, a new TV (Travis decided that would be a good Christmas gift idea for ourselves...yeesh), new car insurance, Christmas gifts and going-away presents for coworkers. But hey, I'm still making improvements. I've upped my student loan payments, and have been very careful to not put anything on my credit card. Once we're past Christmas, things should be easier!