Why Are We Surprised?

  Since the snow on Thursday, I've kept the puppies in the kennel instead of their yard.  It was just enough snow to form a layer of ice on the gravel and the babies didn't have a place that was dry to play.  At the same time,  it was chilly and damp enough that I didn't want seniors Ben and Sophie to be outside (right after my last post, they started blowing coats for some reason) as it seemed to be bothering them.  With a little re-arranging of kennel assignments, I freed up one run for the four pups.
  Saturday, David found the inside gate open and the pups running about.  Sunday, he found them in the next door kennel with their mom and Uncle Gibson.  I discovered that they could push under the communal fence inside, plus the outside sloped away enough that they could squeeze under there, too.  I re-attached the fence to the rail inside then tried to find something to place under the outside rail to discourage the kennel hopping.  The gravel is frozen (plus, they would easily dig through that) so I couldn't haul a few wheelbarrows into their kennel run.  Likewise, some stray pavers are stuck to the ground like glue.  Maybe some logs?  Either too big or also frozen to the ground.  Finally, I found a metal fence post that I rolled into the low spot, then positioned their outside bed on top of that.  Problem solved! (I thought)
  I tried to finish my Christmas shopping, did grocery shopping and a couple of errands.  Late in the afternoon I went to feed the dogs and it looked like two of the puppies were in Jewel and Gibson's yard.  Inside the kennel, I found the puppies had opened their gate and were at the door waiting for me (not sure how the ones in the run got back inside so quick).   I had forgotten to secure their inside gate!  I gave them their dinner and saw that they had moved both the fence post and the bed.  Tomorrow's project will be to find something more secure to place on that outside fence rail.  I already fixed the inside gate latch so they can't flip that up.
  I should have expected these puppies to be the escape artists that they are.  There is a post from 2008 about their mom, Jewel, and her Houdini ways.  She slipped under gates as easily as an eel through water!