..my dog, can be so smart, and yet so dumb!

This morning I tied her up outside at 6:30AM, as I usually do, when I then come in to ready for work.

She is, as you can see by the picture, a mix of a part Gordon Setter.  She thinks she is part pitbull!  Her neck muscles are too strong for what she's supposed to be!

I rent my house, so can't build a fence.  I had a run between 2 fir trees out back, but she got very ancey with winds that made the tall trees sway and make creaking noises.  So, I tied her to my side-porch's beam.  That didn't work as she began to dig against and under the cement, as well as around my rose bush.  So, I attached her chains through a cinder block further in the yard, which she proceeded to drag across the lawn and down the street!  So I tried it through TWO cinder blocks!  Drug those suckers, too!!

I should preface all this by saying that I "rescued" her from an alchoholic family of 2 non-workers in a 1 bedroom apartment.  She was 2 years old, and that was 4 yrs. ago.  I thought it was so cool that if, on her run between trees, she wound herself around a tree, I could tell her to "go around" and motion in a circle, and she would untangle herself!!  She loved to try and chase the squirrels and birds up in the tall pines.  But, because of her anxiety out in the area of woods behind my house, I tried the porch.  No go.  So, I lugged her igloo dog house to up by the unattached garage.  Sure, I now had to walk out and chain her up, but at least she wasn't digging in my gardens.  I put the cinder blocks inside the doghouse, so she couldn't drag them.  This has been for several months.

This morning, as soon as I hooked up the chain to her collar, I saw the ears go up and knew it was too late.  She BOLTED away, and broke the chain in 2!  I sighed and went in to dress and wash up.  I could hear her barking in the woods and figured that she was caught on something and wanted to let me know so I would come get her.  Yeah, right!!

When I was ready to leave, it was finally light out, she had quieted down, so I went out to try and locate her and drag her a* back inside with some verbal reprimands!  Lo and behold, as I stepped outside, there she was standing by her dog house, she stretched and started to wag in happiness!  Upon further looking, there was a herkon tree limb intertwined with her lead!!  She had broken whatever it was that was deadfall in the brush and dragged it back up!!!  I spent a few minutes unraveling the mess as she stood there patiently panting in exhaustion!

Now, I HOPE that teaches her a lesson in NOT chasing after shadows, squirrels or eyes glowing in the dark!  Yeah, right....

Needless to say she probably slept peacefully in the kitchen while I worked my 10 hour shift!!  Now, does anyone have any ideas of how I can convince her that she's a dog and has only so far she can go on her lead?!