Pixel locks us out: The Pixel Diaries

If you cuddle your dog more, they won't lock you out

Yesterday started out like any normal Monday, I took the dog out for a walk early in the morning, before coming home to do a little bit of housework. It coming up for my time to leave, I take the dog down to the garden, bring him back up, leave him with a couple of treats and then I am off to work.

Our front door has a couple of extra bolts, one at the top, and one at the bottom. Our neighbours have warned us about using these as they are temperamental and prone to sticking, they even told us that someone needed to call the fire brigade when one of their locks stuck. It is with one of these bolts that Pixel locked us out. At some point in the day, Pixel had gone to bark at someone outside the door and knocked the bolt's handle enough to move it across and prevent us from opening the door.

When Ruthie got home after work, she unlocked the door and went to open it. It didn't budge. For a moment she cursed me for leaving the door unlocked, she must have just locked it instead. She tries again. No luck. That's when she realises something was wrong. She pushes against the door, maybe something just fell over and could be moved with a little force. Nope. The bloody mutt had somehow managed to lock us out of our home. All the while, Pixel was crying and barking at the door. He knew Ruthie was there but couldn't work out why she wasn't coming in.

Eventually, with the help of a neighbour, they were managed to jimmy open the door, and human and dog were reunited once more, and the door didn't need to be broken down.

The moral of the story? Give your dogs more cuddles or they'll lock you out of your own house.