Finding Chester

We're fostering a year old spaniel for nebulous reasons. We picked him up Tuesday after his neuter and today was the first day we left him at home unsupervised. I brought him home this afternoon around 2 and left around 3, leaving him and Honey out with Madeline, but with the baby gate closed to the upstairs. He's been fine with Madeline, but she needs her own space. Chester (the new dog) has not been thrilled when left alone, but eventually settles and has shown no interest in chewing or even exploring. He mostly wants to be close to people and doesn't seem to care about much else.

When I showed up after work around 7, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was almost prepared to find the downstairs in disarray, with all of our various messy things strewn about even more messily, or even partially or wholly destroyed. Maybe there would be poop and pee everywhere. Maybe they would just be laying in the middle of the floor, Honey proudly showing how she had helped him lick his booboo better, since he's coned and can't reach it, blood everywhere. Maybe the baby gate would be effortlessly knocked over and the upstairs was subjected to plundering and litterbox raiding.

What I didn't expect was: Honey and Madeline. In their spots right at the door and on the stairs, respectively. No Chester in sight. House looked intact and undisturbed. My first thought was that maybe he was asleep and me coming home didn't wake him up, since Honey doesn't bark and I'm not terribly loud. He was not in the kitchen or dining area. The baby gate was up, but he may have managed to jump over it, so I checked upstairs. No Chester, and no sign a dog had been upstairs. On my way back downstairs, the thought crossed my mind that he had miraculously vanished or been stolen right out of our house (because furry lampshades go for millions on the black market).

Then I heard a faint whimper. I went back to the front door and looked around. That's when I noticed that the bathroom door was closed. I opened the door and Chester spilled out. Poor idiot had walked into the bathroom just to look around and had gotten stuck when the cone closed the door instead of letting him out. There's no telling how long he had been in there. I feel so bad for him, and I'll make sure to close the door for his protection. Oh, and it was actually the neighbor's dog, Klinger, in the front yard whining. Chester didn't even make a peep. Poor little dumdum.