If you're sure you should blame one dog, it's probably the other dog's fault

The case of the dogsitting job and the doggie door mystery

Figuring out which dog is the culprit can be harder than it looks. (Photo credit: Shamontiel L. Vaughn)

Before I arrived, I was repeatedly warned by the husband that “one dog is kinda stupid.” I laughed at first, but then I just felt bad for that dog. The story went that a couple’s first adopted dog had a love-hate relationship with the doggie door, which led outside from their kitchen. The dog could easily go out of the door, but he’d either be too scared or confused to get back in.

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They’d tried tricking him with treats, toys, water and even squatting down to greet him on the other side. Still, he’d pace back and forth until someone would open the entire door to let him in. Or, they’d find poop, urine or (one time) vomit in front of the doggie door instead of him going outside at night. Meanwhile, the second dog they adopted could frolic in and out of their home without a problem.

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When I arrived to dogsit, I was intrigued more by the “stupid” dog. I just had a feeling that something wasn’t quite right about this story. At some point, especially considering the dog used to be able to go in and out of this door with ease, there had to be a missing piece to this puzzle. Even more interestingly, even when the second adopted dog would go in, the first one wouldn’t just copy him. This had been happening for at least a year, but I was determined to solve this mystery in a few days.