Tuesday, August 23, 2011

She Wins Her Over!

Stella finally did it. After weeks of enduring Ruanita's ambivalence toward her—her complaints about dirty paws and chewed up toys and shedding hair—she finally won Ruanita over in the wee hours of the morning today. I had begun to become concerned that I had inadvertently married a cat person as Ruanita complained about our dog being...well, a dog. Today, however her complaints turned to compliments and her sneers to kisses and hugs.

This morning, I reluctantly got out of bed at 5:30 to start getting ready for work. The house was silent and dark. I let the dog out to pee in the back yard and then sat in the chair in the living room to check my email quickly before hopping in the shower. Stella, my constant shadow in the morning, laid down on the couch near me. As I was sitting there in the dark—the only light was the downstairs bathroom light we keep on for the kids and the faint glow coming from my laptop—someone knocked on my front door. I instantly froze. It was still completely dark outside. Who would be knocking on my door at 5:30 in the morning? No one I know would knock on my door that early without calling first. And most of my family was in Kentucky this week, anyway. Whoever it was, they knocked lightly, as if not to wake anyone who might be sleeping. Had I still been upstairs, I would certainly not have heard the knocking. However, I did hear it. I was instantly terrified. There was no way in hell I was going to open the door to see who it was.

Stella also heard the knock. My puppy who was lounging peacefully on the couch immediately jumped up and stood at attention. She seem to instinctively understand that no one should be knocking on our door at 5:30 in the morning. She began to growl. I quickly stood up to get out of the living room. I didn't think the person at the door could see me, as we have leaded glass in our front door with an intricate pattern that makes it hard to see in or out. But I wasn't taking any chances. As soon as I stood, Stella jumped off the couch and positioned herself between me and the door. She began to bark. Loudly. Stella is a boxer and the sweetest little butt-wiggler you've ever seen, but as a boxer, she has a pretty loud, ferocious-sounding bark. If someone stormed through my front door, she would probably do nothing more than wag her stubby tail and smile her goofy doggie grin. But the person on the other side of the door did not need to know that.

I moved toward the hallway and sat down on the steps. Stella stayed in the living room and continued to bark. There was never another knock at the door. Eventually, I heard Ruanita began to yell, “Stella, shut up!” from the top of the stairs. She no doubt thought I was in the shower and Stella was barking at who-knows-what. I went upstairs, with Stella following me, and explained to Ruanita what was going on. I recounted how Stella had jumped to attention when the knock came and then placed herself between me and the door. She had most obviously scared off whoever was knocking at our door. Whoever it was and whatever their motive may have been. Ruanita came downstairs with me and sat guard—along with Stella—in the living room as I took my shower and prepared for work.

When I emerged from the bathroom, I found Ruanita sitting on the couch with Stella snuggled up against her. She was hugging and kissing on Stella and telling her repeatedly what a great guard dog she is. And it is true. Had she not been there barking her ferocious-sounding bark, who knows what might have happened. I can't imagine what the motive might have been for someone to knock lightly on my front door at 5:30 in the morning when the house and the street outside were completely dark. My guess, however, is that their motive was not exactly admirable.

Today I am thanking the heavens for my wonderful, smelly, messy, hair-shedding, toy-chewing, butt-wagging dog.

I love her so.



3 comments:

Anonymous said...

WOW I am curious but someone in the neighborhood will know something by the morning. Follow up if you hear anything.

Jessica said...

So I am totally creeped out now... Love guard dogs!

Sara said...

LOVE that Boxers 'look' and sound scary! We have two boxers and are a foster for the rescue in our state so we have a total of 3 kidney-beaning bouncy fur-kids in the house. Undesireable people just don't mess with a family of chicks that have 'mean' dogs!

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