With cold weather bearing down on us two nights ago, I decided to put foam covers on the outside faucets to help keep them from freezing, since it was the first really cold night of the season. My friend Dan Marsh noted on the phone that when he tried the same thing that very evening, his terrier Leo immediately chewed it to pieces. I replied that Hawken the Irish Wolfhound could certainly do the same, but I would still put the cover in place. What could I lose?

With the cover snugged over the faucet and the heater set on high in Hawken’s doghouse, I went to town and covered the coldest Parade of Lights in memory.

It warmed up quickly yesterday, and I had some of the afternoon off, which is often the case during basketball season when I work a split shift. By late afternoon, I noticed the water pressure was low, then a few minutes later that Abby and I both heard water running outside. Uh oh.

I scampered out into the back yard to find it flooded, the foam cover in tatters, and water spraying into the air from the faucet. I though to myself, “It’s 4:30 Friday afternoon, so I have 30 minutes to find a plumber.”

Looking closer, though, I was relieved to find the water was spewing from a tap valve I keep screwed onto the faucet for filling Hawken’s water bowl, and the faucet itself was undamaged. It also happened that I had another on in the garage, which I screwed on, stopping the deluge.

I gapped a big piece of the foam cap and took it inside to show Abby, and when I held it up, without missing a beat she asked, “What did he do now?”