I Found Out the Hard Way That My Dogs Can Reach the Trash Can

Oh Lou Lou, you should've followed your sister's lead and hid underneath the dining room table when I got home. You look so cute and proud of your mess, it's really hard to be mad at you.

I left the dogs home alone for a few hours on Thursday night. They're used to the alone time and usually sleep on the couch until I return (I know this because one time I setup a spy camera to watch them while I was gone). This time, though, it looks like they passed up nap time and moved straight into destruction mode.

I don't know for sure who caused the trash can to flip over, but I'm willing to bet it was Lou Lou. She's my scrappy rescue dog, straight from the streets of Louisiana. Nothing scares her and there's no obstacle she can't overcome. She jumps fences, climbs barstools, and apparently, flips trash cans.

The shredded garbage really gave the house a unique fragrance. Somewhere between old raw meat and used coffee grinds. And before you say, "This wouldn't have happened if you composted your food waste!" After seeing some of the stunts Lou can pull off, I truly doubt that the seal on a bucket of old food would have deterred a very motivated and ambitious 10-month old schnauzer-mix puppy. I've seen her catch live birds mid-flight. She gets what she wants.

Eloise, my other pup, wouldn't come near the camera for a photo with her mess. She knows better than to be spotted at the scene of a crime.

Has your dog ever trashed a trash can? Shredded the toilet paper? Ripped apart the sofa? Share your photos! Bonus points if you get the guilty K9 posing with their mess, because dogs who know they've been naughty are adorable.