::A Geek in Korea::

A few days ago, when we went out to work, we decided it was too hot to leave Yoshi out on the veranda like we normally do. Since the veranda gets direct sunlight most of the day, it heats up faster and stays hotter than the rest of the house. It was already scorching hot, and Yoshi would have been sitting out on that hot veranda all day. He likes to sleep on the cool tiles in the little shade he has, and we give him plenty of water. We also give him some ice if it gets really hot. Even those comforts weren’t enough.

We had few options. Either a “hot dog” when get got home, or bringing the dog to work to sit in the office. It was either that, or let him in the rest of the house for the day. No one could bring him to work, so we were going to have to “Yoshi-proof” the rest of the house.

Since Yoshi is trained to go to the bathroom on the veranda, we kept the sliding door open for him. His water and bathroom remain outside. We shut all the doors in the house and try to tuck away all the extension cords. Yoshi doesn’t chew shoes, but we put all of our extra slippers and shoes away, just in case. We also blocked off access to the garbage can, which he occasionally likes to sniff.

I was the first home when we left Yoshi to have free reign over the apartment. I personally expected a mess. The couch cover would be on the floor, Yoshi sitting as if a king on a throne (his normal posture). Instead, I got greeted with a few yaps as I opened the door, and a spotlessly clean house. No problems whatsoever.

Every time we’ve let Yoshi into the house with the bedroom, bathroom, and computer room blocked off, he’s caused no problems whatsoever. 90% of the time, if someone isn’t paying attention to him, he’s lounging on the couch. When my wife and I take a nap in our bedroom, he’s sleeping on the couch. If he has enough food and gets his walk, he’s very content to sleep there all afternoon it seems. I don’t blame him, it’s a really comfortable couch.

This is a great surprise to us, but we had gotten a good report about Yoshi’s behavior while we had been in Cambodia. We had left Yoshi in the care of a coworker, and she lives in a much smaller apartment. She slept on the floor, and Yoshi slept next to her on the blanket. When he was thirsty, or needed to go to the bathroom, he would go out to the veranda, do his thing, then return to her side. Yoshi also does this when I take a nap on the couch in our apartment.

It’s pretty cool to have a good dog. I wish he wouldn’t bark when the elevator opens or people walk by the door. Then we wouldn’t ever need to keep him on the veranda at all. We’re still trying.