Barky's Tribute

Barky is a pain most of the time. He may be cute, but lets face it, he steals food, chews my kids toys and now his new hobby is digging out my flower beds. For some reason, we love him and keep him around. And the reason became clear last night. After a rough bedtime (a whole other post) we were all slumbering peacefully. Barky sleeps at my feet and normally I don't even feel him. But about 3:30 A.M., my usually quiet (and full of crazy dreams) night sleep was distrupted by an unfamilar growl and angry barking. Now, Barky is named such for a reason, but his barking is usually more excited and hyper. This was mean. He jumped off the bed and ran into the kitchen. When he got there, he started clawing at the sliding door frantically trying to get outside. I slid open the door, and freaked out, waking up Jeremy to go see who was out there. Well, no one was, but Barky was upset. He didn't calm down until he surveyed the backyard and was assured that nothing was there. I like to think that he scared away a would-be intruder, protecting the family that he loves so much. More likely, it was some really scared squriell or cat on a late night prowl. After he was sure we were all safe, he curled right back up on my feet. And I realized, this dog is a pain, but I love him. Last night, Barky earned his kibble.