havoc!

i tied up sam and went to town today, rather upset because he'd destroyed his second cushion in two days, so he didn't get any nice toys or treats. this turned out to be a mistake.

when we returned home, sam had gotten himself loose by breaking the chaining mechanism. he had been on the table and transported the margarine to the hallway, where he'd also pulled down two coats and a backpack, breaking two hooks in the process, and thereafter gnawed up the backpack. he'd jumped into the bay window in the living room, toppled several plants there and broken a flower pot. he'd managed to open the door into the garden and been out and in, as evidenced from the paw marks on the floor.

still, he hadn't gone into the kitchen with all its temptations. he hadn't touched anything in his usual haunt, "the other bedroom". we thought he'd managed to stay out of the forbidden master bedroom as well, but discovered dirty pawmarks on the bed -- our reconstruction involves him running in from the garden, looking for us everywhere, then suddenly realising he was in a not allowed bed and scampering out.

it was a bit of a shock to find such mess when we came home, but as we tidied and brushed away earth we realised it wasn't quite as bad as it could have been. furniture, clothes and most importantly, toys have been left intact. and we have taught him to stay out of the kitchen. now the only remaining tasks are the bedrooms, the window sill, the coats and the table...