The things we do for love

Samantha came to live here a few weeks ago.  She is fitting in very well, but as with any new member of the household we've needed to make a few accommodations.  Her bodily functions are more like Vince's than anyone else.  Also like Vince, she prefers to go out on her own and wander around the yard checking on things while taking care of business.  That's where we had a problem.  Although the dog yard and pasture are fenced, the part of the yard surrounding the house isn't secure.  The section of four-board fence running across the front had fallen into disrepair because it was poorly built (not by me), but not so poorly built that I had replaced it when the rest of the fencing was done.

Samantha does a slow stroll around the
yard like our Jack used to do, just checking
on things while taking care of business.

This worked fine for Vince.  Although he stayed mostly in the yard, he would venture out, up and down the road a bit, to mark the nearby mailboxes and otherwise represent us in the neighborhood.  Vince had obviously lived "at large" for much of his life before coming here and he was smart enough to stay out of trouble so I never really worried much about him.  Samantha had also had the freedom to wander at liberty in her former home, and she sticks around as well, but I don't know that she had Vince's level of experience dealing with the hazards of a road.  Consequently, when we would let Samantha out, one of us went with her to keep an eye on where she was going, especially after the first time she walked down the driveway, through the gate, and headed across the road.

Samantha heading into the container
garden.

Samantha and Vince both have old dog bladders
and they are the first to get up in the morning.

I needed to repair the fence and secure the yard so I could close the front gate and allow Samantha the freedom to wander about in safety.  I repaired and replaced a few boards, but there was a section about 20 yards long where the fence was completely gone.  I put up some sturdy wire fence, a few t-posts, and we once again had a fully fenced front yard.

We let Gigi out to wander free in the front yard
too, but never worried about her getting out
because she never wants to get far away from
her bed. 

Samantha and Gigi under the willow oak.

I'm happy and Samantha is happy with the new arrangement.  Vince - not so much.  He can probably still get through the four board fence somewhere if he really wants to get out, but I'm encouraging him to give up marking the neighborhood mailboxes and keep his activity confined to our property.  The other person who may not be thrilled with the new arrangment is Clay, because it means a stop to open the closed gate each time he enters or leaves, plus another stop on the other side to close it again after going through.  But he will do it, because it means keeping the dogs safe and me happy.

I care not one whit that our closed gate
and sign may be viewed as uninviting.

I'm a big believer in the saying that "good fences make good
neighbors."  This new piece of fence isn't exactly good, but
it will get the job done.