Binki's Big Adventure

I suppose most people have a nightly ritual before they go to bed -- lock up the house, turn out the lights, get one last drink of water. Our nightly ritual includes letting Binki out for one last answer to nature's call. Binki has been an inside dog for all of her almost 14 years -- she does NOT like to be kept outside for any reason. She has torn doors up trying to get back in the house; and she's very verbal about not being outside when she wants to come in.

Last night, however, we forgot to let Binki back inside. At 5:30 this morning, we both awoke to the sound of a dog barking outside -- a very familiar bark. Chris said, "Is that Binki?" And I replied, "Sounds like it," and rolled over to go back to sleep. So Chris went downstairs to investigate (which is his job: to investigate strange noises in the night), and sure enough, it was Binki in the front yard, barking at someone -- most likely the newspaper guy.

Fortunately for Binki, she's well padded with fur and extra weight, so the 50 degree temperatures were pleasant for her. She bounded up the stairs, ran into the bedroom and came over to sniff my face. She seemed a little excited, or maybe invigorated from her night in the wild, but she very quickly settled down and went to sleep. This morning, when we got up, she bounded down the stairs for breakfast, but didn't beg to go outside. Poor Binki.