Saturday, May 10, 2008

Must Warn Family! Must Warn Family!

Boy oh boy.

Something must have gotten into the yard last night, or at least been prowling around the fence.

Elsie wouldn't even come in for breakfast!

Something out there caught her nose and attention, and that's been it.

Nonstop, deep-chested, growl-preceded barking

ALL morning.

Funny thing is Elsie has a much deeper, more resonant, stronger bark than Ridge; Pinot does, too, taking after her mom.

And it echoes (just what the neighbors want to hear at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning).


















Maybe the danger is still out there. Elsie thinks it is.

But I sure can't see it.

And I've been out now.

Twice.

Walking the fence line.

Investigating.

Telling Elsie it's okay. SHOWING Elsie it's okay.

But she's not quitting.


















This is Elsie's view through the fence (do you see anything?):

















Elsie, bless her heart, sounded the alarm the whole time I took these pictures. And this from our usually quieter one.

Ridge is our barker. But not today. He couldn't care less. Whatever is out there hasn't phased him one bit.

Pinot and Kenya, of course, had to join in the fun (ohboyohboyohboywegettobark!), though I'm not sure they knew what the fuss was all about.

They seemed to just follow Elsie's lead.

Such a ferocious girl -- sweet, gentle, attention-needy Elsie Bear. The Leaner. Snuggler Extrodinaire.

Yet there she is, hackles raised, alerting to whatever it is that's threatening her loved ones.

So what if it seems like she's barking at the wind? She's doing her job. She's doing all she knows to do to warn and protect those that matter most to her.

It may look a bit like tiny Elsie against the great big world...


























But she's not the least bit intimidated.

In her mind, her family's well-being is at stake.

She's doing what comes naturally.

Keep it up, Girl.

'Til next time,
Joan
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3 comments:

saratogajean said...

Must be the "mom" in her. One of my boys, Dexter, gets really worked up about fireworks, and my other dog, Ernie, really doesn't care. Ernie just looks out of a couple of windows to make sure there aren't any zombies outside, then gives me a look like, "Jeez, what's he so excited about? You didn't even say 'treat.'"

You've got beautiful dogs, btw.

Thoughts said...

My one Golden Retriever does that all the time. He will fixate on something out the front or back window and just bark, bark, bark, sometimes preceded by a low growl!!! We always just thought he was a can short of a six-pack or something but really inside we know he feels he is protecting us! God Bless all of them!

Joan said...

Saratogajean and Thoughts,

Yup, I'll bet it is the mom in her. She didn't bark quite so much before she had her first litter last year.

But it may also be they're loyalty and protectiveness for us, her humans (and now her protective instinct is stronger after becoming a mom?).

In either case, it's nice to know they watch over us, eh?

Gotta luv em, eh?

Thanks for commenting.

J.