Just a quick Public Service Announcement for you on a Sunday morning.
It is entirely possible that your baby is smarter than your dog. You can let that sink in. I’ll wait.
My dog is really quite bright. At nine years old he is wise and grey. He is patient and kind. Unless he wants to go outside and then he is less than patient. He will whine and bark and run in circles shouting “Hello, assholes!! Didn’t you hear?! Your dog wants to go OUTSIDE right NOW!”
Lucy didn’t say a word. She just waited until I went to the bathroom and hurled her little body at the screen door until it popped open. Fortunately kids are slobs and she didn’t shut the door behind her or I’d still be screaming her name and looking under the couch cushions.
The takeaway from this little tale – your baby might be smarter than your dog. And lock your screen door. You’re welcome. 
**Note to my readers (some of whom I formerly considered my friends) – Really? Do you not even pay attention?? A PUBIC Service Announcement? Note the title, kids. Killer typo. And not one of you gave me shit about this. No wonder my baby is running away, I am a MESS.
Excitement on the side 
My cat does something similar… if there is the tiniest opening in the sliding doors he’ll pry it open with his little paw and run out! I guess it will be important to make sure the doors are locked when there’s a baby crawling around too ;)
Maybe I should put a bell around her neck?
I’m pretty sure my kids and dogs know how to open the door but don’t just because they’re biding their time…
Oh, Lucy. Shenanigans in baby escapism before coffee? Dislike. Thank goodness you are adorable and good dogs are more valuable than gold.
All I know is that my pets and my kids are all smarter than me. It sounds as if it might be that way at your house too. I think that’s just the way it is. Baby pops out, brain cells disappear. With each additional year, it just gets worse. The baby sure is cute though, so it’s worth it.
Worse? I knew it.
pubic.
lice
wait, are we not playing a word association game?
4evah!
Kelly,
Love how you are reducing your carbon footprint with your free range baby.
Le Clown
Gotta start somewhere.
I just installed a knobless lock on my front door – my goldendoodle was opening it – like your children he refuses to shut the door behind him.
Ha! I love goldendoodles. I have a lab now and had poodles as a kid, the goldendoodle seems like a great dog.
He really is a wonderful beast. He is built like a poodle and thinks he’s very tiny. He has the loyalty of a golden. Sweet sweet boy – who leaves the door open. I love labs too, such wonderful companions.
My dog may be smarter than me, I refuse to accept it but he’s determined to outsmart me, so far he is winning, I can’t imagine how a kid is, they are like sponges, monkey sees monkey does.
Monkeys fling their poop, too. Sigh.
I dunno – my dog figured out how to open our front gate… if I ever have a baby I don’t think he could do that… I mean, is it possible for little humans to be smarter than animals?! *mind boggled!*
(Oooh, new thought. Are dogs actually a lot smarter? By letting you know where he is, your dog is letting you know to let him back in if the door were to shut. But if your baby let the door shut – she’d be stuck outside without you knowing!! Animal stupidity or genius?! ^.^)
Ha! Genius, indeed!!
I’ve already started training Snort (20mo.) We go for a walk and I have him lead the way, especially when we head back home. I am dreading the day he manages to turn a doorknob and pull at the same time.
It will happen. And then you will check your doors a hundred times a day.
My Tonkinese cats can open doors – all kinds of doors. We had to put child proof locks on the China cabinet and locks on the outsides of doors to closets and rooms we didn’t want them going into. And then people who come to our house think we’re holding someone hostage in those rooms that are locked from the outside…
And it sounds like it’s time to investigate other kinds of locks for Lucy, too.
Cats can be crazy sneaky!
A friend of mine had to put locks on the top of his doors because his kids were escape artists and figured out every other obstacle between them and the outdoors.
We might be headed that direction.
oh goose…you sweetie!