We tried to sneak out of the house with just Charlie. Things were going as planned. Chase was sound asleep in the bedroom. Abby was on the back deck. I grabbed a leash and The Englishman had Charlie tucked under his arm. Hand on the door to the garage, I felt a tail brush against my leg. A large and bushy tail. A wagging tail. Abby's tail.
I put the leash on her and took her on a driveway walk: up and down the driveway we ran several times. On one of the trips back, I noticed Chase was in the yard. The Englishman placed Charlie in the back of the Jeep and herded Chase into the house. I started to go back into the garage but Abby dug her feet in and pulled toward the Jeep. I tugged, she tugged. I handed the leash to The Englishman and told him to put her in the house. She tugged toward the Jeep one time and he helped her onto the backseat. Our daytrip to the parents' house had one more passenger. A very guilty looking passenger that kept Charlie quite warm on the 2 hour drive.
Abby loved the freedom of South Carolina and was able to run through the woods quite freely. She was also willfully disobedient when we called for her to return. On this trip the problem was solved when a friend arrived with his new puppy. All it took was for me to hold the puppy, covering him with coos and kisses and Abby was once again my shadow dog.
The return trip to Georgia was an easy repeat of the morning. Charlie snuggled with Abby and when we arrived, Chase was dreaming lazily on his dog bed in the living room.
"A sly piece of good luck, which nobody knows of is delightful." Publilius Syrus
