We have a new watchdog!

I just don't know what he is watching. The first 6 months we had Rudy I could count on one hand the number of times I heard him bark. He barked at a weird kid in Iowa. Justified. He barked at the lawn guy who was encroaching in Rudy's backyard territory. Justified. He barked early one morning at Mike's headlights running down the fence as he was leaving for work. OK. Not justified. Kind of weird, really, but he's a pup and learning. Those lights were kind of scary and surreal. Maybe those cute little puppy yelps in his sleep are from dreaming of alien abductions.

Last night, or rather early this morning, at 2 am he sat up on the bed (YES he sleeps on our bed) and BARKED and BARKED. I walked him out back. Mike went out front to check things out. We saw nothing. As we started drifting off again...you guessed it. MORE BARKING. Not yapping, which was a big fear of mine given his lineage. So I'm really relieved. I hate yappers. He was BARKING. Like he meant it. We sat up peering through the blinds. And then heard a really, really strange noise. It was either a metallic screeching or a weird animal. Or, maybe it was alien.

Today he sat on the top of the couch (not the seat, mind you, the top, back, head rest, whatever you call it) barking at a squirrel sitting on the fence. He wasn't interested in going out to bark at it. Preferred the safety of the indoors. Perhaps he knows the space ship is lurking. Just waiting.

At any rate. Rudy found his bark. If I'm awake at 2 am again tonight, or tomorrow morning, he's in trouble. He'd better hope the aliens take him.