Love all the stories. I garden with a German Shepherd and a Golden Retriever that love to pick veggies. In the early gardening season, one or two "no" reminders will keep them out. They'll sit and wait near the row of snow pea pods for me to throw them the over sized pods. (Every few years the neighbors have peas in the field near my garden, then the dogs will find a spot and sit and pick their own.)b By the time the cucumbers are producing, all bets are off when it comes to staying out of the garden. Then, if I'm not quick enough to pick and toss some large cukes their way, they'll pick their own. They take them off to a shady spot to munch while I continue slaving in the sun. Zucchini is another favorite along with butternut squash, though they prefer the butternut cooked. They've also come to enjoy tomatoes, though have yet to pick their own maters. They also like apples and will occasionally pick them off the trees, gooseberries, plums, & apricots are also on the menu.About the only things they won't eat are green beans, onions, and garlic. One thing is certain, things are never dull when they're helping me.

My KD at Lowes was great too. Really took a lot of time to get things right (several multi hour meetings and configs). The results look great so far. I also appreciated the fact that the installation manager took the time to come out to the work site towards the end of the day to inspect the work and make sure I was happy. All in all, very professional from start to finish. I hope it continues. I was a bit nervous about selecting them, but the savings were just too substantial over other comparable options. Now it is looking like a real bargain.

https://nodogaboutit.wordpress.com/2014/06/01/loose-dog-dont-chase-stop-drop-and-lie-down/ What to do if a dog gets loose: Stop, drop and lie down – It might sound silly, but dogs find the behavior odd. When you don’t give chase and instead lie down and lie still, a dog will get curious and will often come back to see if you are okay or to see what you are doing. Stop, drop, and curl into a ball – This is also a curious behavior for a dog. Because you are not moving and your hands are closely wrapped around your head, they see you as less of a threat and will come to check you out. This gives them a chance to sniff you and realize it’s you, their owner, or to allow you to pet them and grab their collar. Run in the opposite direction – What? Run away from the dog? That’s right. Some dogs love a good chase. Instead of you chasing them, let them chase you. Even if the dog is not up for a good chase, he may be curious about your odd behavior and follow along until you can get him into a building or car or someplace where it is easier to corral him. Sit down with your back or side to the dog and wait – Again, dogs are thrown off by this odd behavior and will become curious and approach. The other advantage is that by sitting down with your side or back to them, you appear less threatening and they are more likely to approach. If you have good treats, place a few around you to draw them near. Open a car door and ask the dog if she wants to go for a ride – It almost seems too simplistic and silly to be true, but many a dog has been fooled into hopping into a car because they were invited to go for a ride. It makes sense, especially if the dog has learned to associate the car with good things (e.g., the dog park). Just learned this, while it will not help lost dog, some good ideas on what to do that first minute.

OK, let's start with the basics. Note: This will be a multi-cook Kitchen Seating... Linear space (the amount of space you need for each seat) 24" minimum; if you plan to eat all meals at the island, then I recommend more like 30" Overhang - clear knee/leg space - after accounting for decorative doors/panels on the back of the island cabinets -- Counter-height: minimum of 15"; again, if you plan to eat most meals there, I would go for more like 18" Corner seats - you cannot have two seats sharing a corner b/c they each need knee/leg space So, with seating as you show and the 18" cabinet you show, your island needs to be at least: Width/Length: 8'10.5" -- 15" overhang for the seats on the short side + (3 seats * 24") + 18" cabinet + 1.5" counter overhang past the 18" cabinet = 106.5" = 8'10.5" -- For an 18" overhang, add 3" = 109.5" = 9'1.5" Depth: 2 seats * 24" = 48" = 4' As it stands, your island can only seat 4 people comfortably. Since you said that's your minimum, then you should be OK - please don't try to cram 5th seat in there! Why do you insist on eating all meals at the island? Island seating is really for short visits, snacks, quick meals - it's not particularly comfortable for long-term seating. It's also not really conducive to family bonding. When I think of island seating, I think of a diner counter seating - even with a couple of seats around the corner. Counter-height seating is also not the safest for young children... I strongly recommend you consider using your DR for meals and keep the island for visits and quick snacks/meals. . Aisles... Right now, your aisles are rather narrow. Recommendations: One-person Kitchen: minimum of 42" Two-person Kitchen: minimum of 48" Aisles are measured from the item on each side of the aisle that sticks out the farthest: counter edge (most common), appliance handle, cabinet knob (for tall cabinets with no counter), and walls. Assuming your aisles are measured counter edge-to-counter edge: The island/range wall aisle is 5" too narrow at 43". It should be at least 48". -- If, however, you are measuring cabinet-to-cabinet, the aisle is 8" too narrow b/c counter overhangs are around 1.5". Add the 1.5" from both sides, and that's 3" off the aisle. The island/sink wall aisle is not 40", it's probably more like 38" when counting the DW handle. (I'll address the refrigerator issues later.) So, this aisle is 8 to 10" too narrow - and this could be an issue b/c it's going to be one of the busiest aisles in the Kitchen - it leads to/from the Bedrooms and the public rooms (FR, Kitchen, DR, etc.) -- If you're measuring cabinet-to-cabinet, then you need another 1.5" The island/pantry aisle is also too narrow. It's only 41" and the minimum recommended aisle width when little or no traffic passes behind diners is 44" (to walk past). You have less than that. On a busy aisle like that, 48" is the minimum. Yes, you have that 18" cabinet on the end, but in reality the person sitting at the last seat will be sticking into the aisle b/w the pantry and island. So, you need another 7" on that aisle. The island/angled wall aisle is only 39" - need I say more? (You need another 9" on that aisle). Regarding that "alternate route through the kitchen" comment - you should be discouraging people from using the aisle b/w the cooktop and island, not encouraging it! . Refrigerator... There are two issues with the location of the refrigerator/freezer: The doors will not open fully on the wall side. With the exception of true built-in refrigerators, the doors of refrigerators need to stick out past adjacent walls/cabinets/counters so they can be opened fully. When placing a refrigerator/freezer near a wall or other item that is deeper than the refrigerator's carcass/box, you need 6" to 12" b/w the refrigerator and the item (in this case the wall). This is usually accomplished by placing a 9" or 12" wide tall cabinet b/w the wall and the refrigerator/freezer. This cabinet is only 25" deep (24" cabinet box + 1" for door). The second issue is the general location. As it stands, traffic to/from the refrigerator and FR, DR, or some island seats will go right through the main work aisle of the Kitchen - the aisle that should be the most protected against traffic! -- Move the refrigerator to the angled wall - it's then located so it's easily accessed from the outside (FR, DR) and the Prep & Cooking Zones (the two work zones you use the refrigerator the most from). Note: I would only move the refrigerator, not the freezer (it looks like they're an all-refrigerator/all-freezer pair - are they?) Why? Because I would not want the oven(s) to be in the busy doorway b/w the bedrooms and the rest of the house. I would put in a 9" cabinet, then the freezer, then the ovens. The ovens are still in a busy aisle, but at least they won't be in the doorway where someone running through the door might unsuspectingly run into an open oven door. . Trash pullout... This belongs in the Prep Zone. Far more trash & recyclables are generated while prepping and cooking than cleaning up - and for a longer period of time. I would put it on the other end of the island from the sink so it's accessible from the Primary Prep Zone (island), Secondary Prep Zone (next to the cleanup sink), and the Cleanup Zone. If you're thinking the Secondary Prep Zone will be b/w the cooktop and oven (or refrigerator), I don't think that will work b/c there's no water on that run. Yes, it's in the island, but that's the Primary Prep Zone and where someone else will already be working. If everyone "plays well together", you might be able to share the prep sink, but I doubt that will be the case as your children grow up.