worse than an elephant

You see this handsome guy?

Yeah, sometimes he can be a pain.

You see, this guy remembers everything. EVERYTHING.

Two years ago, he smacked his head on my trunk door when he jumped into the car a little too early - the door was only half up. He hit his head hard enough to crack the base of my trunk's hood. Since then, he always looks up to be sure the trunk door is ALL the way up before jumping.


But three months ago, I did something bad. Something I have never, ever done before. I am always extremely careful to check for tails and paws and noses before I close the trunk door. The ONE time I forgot to check...I closed the trunk on Jack's tail. Very, very, VERY fortunately, he tail was wedged on the side, in between the weather-stripping, and no there was no damage to his tail. But it terrified Jack - a dog who isn't scared of anything. This is a dog who ADORES the vacuum cleaner and gets exicted when I take the hose attachment and vacuum him. Doesn't mind getting shots at the vet. 'Dominates' all dogs, including the 300lb small horse at the dog park.

I've tried getting him in the trunk. Cajoling, sweet talk, and threats failed. If I try to hoist up his rear legs or tug on his Halti, he throws himself on the ground and does an alligator death roll. I even pulled out the very best of my arsenal: meat. Not Boca, not Quorn, but real bloody flesh from a cow set in the trunk. He sniffed the air, then did an alligator death roll.

Clearly, this is going to be a problem.

He is perfectly happy to sit in the rear seat, but that is not a safe place for a dog. Plus, my car is in pristine condition and I'd like to keep it that way. I have a rear-seat cover, but it doesn't cover the headrests or center console.

Any suggestions?

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Usefulness of the day: For a low-carb version of nachos, slice cheddar into long, thin slices, roll some crisp Romaine around the cheese, and dip in salsa. You get the crunch (plus green, calcium, and protein) without the carbs.

Picture credit.