Pyr Pressure

          I awoke to barking I had not heard before…And I thought I knew 'em all.

         There’s the happy bark that yelps, “She’s Home!” And the hungry bark that says “Let’s eat!” There’s a low, gruff bark that commences to a steady pitched bark when a cement truck or school bus drives by, which is nothing compared to the steady loud bark for things coming up our drive. 

          There are growly barks for the occasional bone debate and a long, slow, guttural growl if you dare get between TJ and a new stuffed toy.

          There are threatening “get back or I’ll bite” barks (usually done while under the porch with a bone with teeth showing) and there's one very specific “Don't you EVEN think about stepping on our porch” bark when a stranger comes near.

          But the barking that woke me this morning was none of these. It was 5 am; the whole pack was barking incessantly. Given that Pyrs are nocturnal (sleep all day/bark all night) I’m used to night barking and have more or less learned to block it out. But this was different. It started loud, and would then fade into the distance, then it would ramp back up again… It was continuous, and it wasn't about to quit anytime soon. The dogs were seriously upset about something.

          I must confess, my first reaction was to reach for a second a pillow. A high pitched yelp and I’m out the door in 10 seconds flat. But this was group bark. Whatever it was, they had each other's backs. It didn’t alarm me so much as it woke me. But with no break in the pattern, I couldn't ignore it.

          Tossing on jeans and boots I head to the door when I instantly spot the problem: two unwanted guests. From where I was standing I couldn’t make out if they were German Shepherds or possibly coyotes, but whatever they were, they were after the goats.

          The outside animals were stalking the parameter, looking for a break in the fence, (hence the volume change of dogs first on this end, then on the far end). TJ kept the goats in check; the other three maintained their side of the fence~ and back and forth they went.

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          The intruders ran off with a porch light and a loud "HEY!" But I gotta say, there is nothing more beautiful than a Pyr doing its job (unless it’s 4 Pyrenees doing their jobs). 

Music of the Night

     My 20-year-old cassette player makes a loud “click” when it’s done, bringing a rudely, abrupt ending to the chanting monks. The sound left behind-- two snoring dogs and a purring cat.

    Layered beneath this is a heavenly host of crickets in tinnitus-like unison.

 In the background, I hear Rosey’s family barking in the distance—a neighbor’s dog has come to check on Rosey.  

     Then I hear that other sound…that slurping, glopping awful sound of a dog that’s back to licking...     
     It’s 2 am. Rosey’s awake and miserable. Apparently her meds have worn off. I go online and check out Benedryl dosages for dogs. If it’s good for Tj’s hot spot, it might help Rosey’s itching as well.Armed with info, I head to the kitchen for a slice of cheese in which to wrap said Benedryl, when I notice my aquarium frog leaping and kicking, going from pink gravel floor to top of tank and back again. Seldom is he this animated. Perhaps this is what aquarium frogs do at night when we’re not looking.

     I pause to feed him and his tank-mate, a double-tail betta, when I notice Picasso stuck in a cross web of seaweed near the top of the tank. (Apparently leaving tank lights on round the clock causes green stuff to double. As a result, Picasso’s flow-y blue fins are mixed in with the greens. He looks like a miniature Seahawks fan doing his one-betta version of the wave. The colors were pretty, but the scene was slightly disturbing.)     

I stop to dislodge my fish, removing the extra long seaweed strand from the tank. By now Boo has positioned himself squarely in front his feeding bowl. The next familiar sound is that of dry cat food hitting porcelain to go along with the hum of the aquarium filter.

     Grabbing cheese slices I spy a completely full dog bowl, meaning antibiotics are not in Rosey’s system (dang it). I go for a second slice of cheese and add five more capsules to her late night snack.

      A belly rub (actually more like a fingernail scratch) and 25 minutes later, Rosey's back to snoring. By morning (like real morning…not 2 am morning) Rosey’s stitched up belly is back to proper pinkish tones and life is good again.