I was born on February 2, 2008.  When I was 8 weeks old, my brother and I went to live with a fun family in Los Lunes, NM. My family named me Sherman because they thought that I would be as big as a tank and they named my brother, Gus, just because. We got to be too much fun for our family and they had to put us in foster care. We went to live with Kristin and her kids, 3 Bernese Mountain dogs.

Ernie, Kicks and Selena were ever so much fun! We ran all over their house, wrestled and busted out the screen door to the back yard. I got to take my daily swim in Kristin’s pond. She wasn’t too crazy about me doing that. But I love to swim. Gus was too afraid to go swimming with me, but he was my brother and I love him, so that was OK that he didn’t swim with me. Kristin tried to keep me locked up in a kennel, but I broke out every time she left so that I could play with my foster brother and sisters. Gus was the goody two shoes and wouldn’t come out to play until Kristin said so.

Kristin sent out an email to all of her friends in the Warm Hearts Network, the local Delta Society Pet Therapy team letting them know that me and Gus were available for adoption.  She told them how wonderful we are and included a great picture of me & Gus:

Me and Gus

Aren’t we adorable?!

Someone thought Gus was cute and he left us. I missed Gus so much that I cried and cried all day and all night for days on end. Then on September 9, 2008, Rebecca came over to play with me. We liked each other and she said that she would adopt me and give me a wonderful home. I didn’t understand that at the time. I thought that she was just taking me out on a really long walk. We walked all the way to her house and she told me how smart she thought I was to know which house was hers ’cause I went right up the walkway without her telling me!

I loved smelling the new house and huge back yard. The cat, Leica scared me! I was tired from the long walk and wanted to go back to my foster family. Rebecca fed me and then rubbed my belly, which made me happy. She took me back to her bedroom to go to sleep, but the cat kept scaring me, so I ran away from the cat. Again and again Rebecca took me back to the bedroom with her and the cat. I sat down and cried. All night long.

Rebecca told me that she was my new mom and that we would have lots of fun together. Then she left me tied up in her yard while she went off to exercise. I cried and tried to get away to go back to my foster mom. My new mom was sad to see me so unhappy when she came home. We went to the pet super store and brought home lots of fun toys, a bed and goodies. And a really big metal cage. She put me in the cage at suppertime. That was OK, since there was food. Afterwards, she let me out so that we could play and go on a walk. At night time, she put me in the cage. She and the cat went to sleep in the bedroom. I missed Gus. I missed Kristin, Ernie, Kicks and Selena. I cried all night long. I broke out of the cage ~ easy as it just had 2 metal sliding bars to keep it closed. Mom put me back in the cage and I broke out again. She finaly let me sleep in the bedroom on the floor.

The next day my new mom stayed home with me. We played alot and I followed her everywhere. She went out in the evening and locked me in the cage with 2 little padlocks to keep the sliders locked in place. I got really scared, so I looked at those locks and shook the door. Huh! No problem for me to bust out the locks. I chased the cat all over the house. My mom had closed off all of the room doors before she left, just in case I figured out how to get out of my cage. I just got up on my hind legs and used my paws to open all of the inside doors. The outside doors were locked with deadbolts, so I just chased the cat around inside the house. Boy, was that ever fun! Around and around we went! Pictures flew off the walls with satisfying clunks and crackles. We tore plants out of their pots. The cat  & I broke mom’s favorite ceramic lamps and teapots with wonderful thunks and tinkling sounds for each piece. And then I discovered the litter box. Tootsie treats! I was so excited that I tore down the shower curtains tore up the blinds and overturned chairs, tables and shelves. I got mad that mom wasn’t home to let me out so I peed and pooped on her clothes. Finally, we heard a key in the front door. Mom was home!

She walked in and didn’t even say hi to me. She just stood there with her jaw dropped looking around. Then she noticed me curled up at her feet. Outside the cage. She started to cry and told me that she thought someone had broken into the house and trashed the place. Then she said that if I couldn’t behave she would have to take me back to Kristin. I figured that I would just keep being bad and maybe I would get to go back to Gus and my foster family!

Mom took me on a walk and then spent hours cleaning up the mess. She put me in the cage and went to bed. I cried and cried for hours and she finally let me back in the bedroom with her and Leica.

The next day a friend of mom’s came over, Susan. Mom and Susan went out to lunch. First though, they put me in the big cage and secured it with the padlocks and 2 clamps. No problem for me. As soon as they left, I busted out and chased the cat all over the house then I jumped on the couch to look out the front window for them to come back.

Susan could not believe that I broke out of the locked cage. She just stared in amazement at the locks still on the cage door and then me sitting outside. I was pretty proud of myself for being so clever. Susan said that I must be a Houdini to be able to get out of the locked cage.

Susan and mom went out to get a bunch of new locks ~ 8 more. But I am too clever for any locks! I still got out. Mom decided that I should have a new name since I was so clever at breaking out of the locked cage: Houdini.

Mom took me to see a Dr. Maguire, an awesome vet at Aztec Animal Clinic. She fell in love with me and told me I was gorgeous. Then she poked me all over and said I was in perfect health. Then I got yummy treats. Mom cried while we there ’cause that is where she took her old dog for the forever sleep.

I kept breaking out of the cage when mommy was gone and tore up alot of stuff. And I still cried for my brother and foster family all night long. Mom looked very sad and told me that if I did not behave better then I would have to go back to foster care. Sounded good to me! We went to visit with my foster family. It was so much fun to romp around and go swimming in Kristin’s pond. Mom told Kristin that I might have to go back to foster care. I looked at my mom and barked and barked. I told her that if she would bring me back for visits with my foster family then I would be good. But I had my toes crossed when I said that. Mom didn’t see that so she said that since she was in love with me that I could stay with her.

I was sorta good. I finally convinced mom to let me sleep in bed with her and the cat, Leica. Much comfier for me and I really liked the den like feel. Of course, I would chase the cat off the bed and around the house in the middle of the night. Woke mom up and she got grumpy with us.

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