Outdoors - Difficult job of being a watch dog

   It is handy to have a good watch dog around the farm. As the dog matures and he and the owner gain more experience with the crises that arise, a level of communication develops. I have learned the different barks and what they mean. There are the happy short rapid barks when a rabbit or squirrel is spotted. When he sees a deer, he lets me know with a deep “woof” followed by a pause for five to ten seconds followed by another “woof”. This lets me know, he has spotted a deer and is not happy that he can not chase it because it is out of his boundary. Frantic rapid barking while looking up a tree and glancing back toward me means there is a raccoon in one of the trees in his yard and I had better do something about it. In the most serious situations, he has a loud frequent bark punctuated with deep throaty growls that make the hair on the back of a person’s neck stand up. When we hear this, we know something bad is happening. A mass murderer is approaching, or a grizzly bear is in the yard, heading toward the house. Fortunately, we rarely hear this alarm as we have very few murderers or bears where we live. 

   Friday, while in town, I stopped at O’Hara Hardware. They have a wide assortment of pretty mums. I picked out a couple to take home to my wife. It was late afternoon when I got home and placed one mum on each side of the walkway leading up to the porch near the front door. My wife was very pleased with them, and I never thought much more about them. Billie and I went in and out of the garage door a few times before bedtime. On last call, when he goes out to check the perimeter and make sure we are safe for the night, I let him out of the front door. He walked a few steps and started his most vicious barking, sprinkled with the growl that gives a person goose bumps. I was in no mood to face a grizzly bear but that I should go see what was going to get us. Billie was near the end of the porch as I cautiously neared him. Staring into the darkness, I could not see anything. I could tell, whatever had him so upset was close by. He is a brave dog, but not brave enough to lead the way. He would be my close backup when something or someone attacked. As we walked between the mums, he suddenly stopped barking and growling as he smelled the one on his right. Turning around, he brushed against the other mum that had sneaked up on him. He jumped and almost landed on me. He seemed a bit sheepish when he realized the mums were not nearly as dangerous as he first thought. After completing his initial task, he came back into the house to tell my wife about the close call. He was glad I was not killed in the confrontation but happier the mums did not get him. 

   The next morning, Billie was still a little careful walking by the mums but has since made peace with them. They are not nearly as scary in the daylight. Being a watchdog can be a difficult job.