From commentor Felonious Wench:
This is Kira, our Lab/Beagle mix. I had made up the bed 2 minutes before she wrecked it. She’s a cat-chaser, a plant-destroyer, a midnight-barker, and a general chaos machine. We adore her.
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2 years ago, I decided it was time for a dog. I was home a lot by myself with our sons, and I wanted a dog to keep me company. I found her at our local no kill shelter; she was 9 months old, no longer a puppy, and she’d been there a couple of weeks. I had planned on getting a small dog, but there she was, 40 pounds of sweet dog, and still growing. Her notes about her said “She is one SMART dog. She was found in a backyard, playing with a group of kids.” Guess she snuck in.
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She immediately showed herself to be a big baby who loves any person who comes across her path. My dreams of a dog with a protective streak slowly faded into reality…the dog flops for belly rubs in the presence of any human.
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So I thought.
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One afternoon, our housekeeper heard Kira going absolutely ballistic in our back yard; she had a tone to her bark and a snarl she had never heard. She looked out the back window, and two guys were climbing over the fence. Kira was having none of that. She tore over there and backed them into a corner. They got so scared they immediately managed to climb our fence and get the hell out of there…
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But not before one of them dropped his backpack.
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My fears of Kira’s inability to alert me to intruders were unfounded. Turns out the men had broken into the house behind us. She had scared one of them so badly he dropped his backpack, with his ID inside. Oops. The police confiscated it, and gave Kira a rub on the belly. She flopped for them as soon as we let them in the gate.
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Yes, she’s one smart dog.
SiubhanDuinne
What a GREAT story! Kira, tummy rub, there’s a good girl. (P.S. Love the photo, too — excellent post to start a new week.)
SiubhanDuinne
By the way, one thing I love in that picture is the blur of her tail. Such a happy dog from one end to the other.
asiangrrlMN
Kira is gooooorgeous! And, yes, very smart, too. Who’s a good girl?
Taterstick
Good doggie, Kira (scritch, scritch)!
stuckinred
Lil Bit and the Bohdi say arf!
geg6
Who’s a good girl? Kira’s a good girl. Yes, she is!
And damn, she’s cute as hell on top of it all.
Gina
Nice doggie! I’m with SiubhanDuinne, the blurry tail makes the pic even more adorable.
electricgrendel
I love the look on her cute little face. It’s a cross between “How could you possibly be mad at me for this mess when I look at you this way?” and “Look at the awesome mess I made! Love me!”
Precious one!
Josie
What a precious face and that wagging tail. Great way to start the day. Thanks for the lift.
Linda Featheringill
Kira is a cutie. And good, too.
It is a principal of Tao that The Way can reach backwards as well as forwards. This means that The Way can insert people and things into your life before you need them.
This is very helpful. Thieves who are willing to rob an occupied house are up to no good. But Kira was already in place. Very nice.
[and Good Morning to everyone!]
Linda Featheringill
Off on a tangent:
Glenn Beck criticizes Obama’s Christianity.
I think this is an indication that Obama is doing something right.
brantl
What an absolutely cool dog. You got lucky. Stay lucky.
jcgrim
Great story! Those overpriced home burglar alarms have nothing on a barking dog. In 2 separate incidences, my barking dog chased potential thieves away. In one case, teens were breaking into houses in our area to steal Christmas presents. They had been casing our house while we were asleep and (we assume they were casing since we didn’t see them but saw the evidence they left the next day) when they heard Lucille’s deep, gutteral bark coming from inside the house. I woke up to her barking and noted that it did not sound like her typical bark. It was deeper, more ominous, interspersed with long growls. They didn’t break in and probably chose a doggless house to vandalize.
Scott
What a good, good dog!
WereBear
@jcgrim: What I’ve heard from police officers is that your best burglar alarm is a dog with a big bark. Doesn’t need to be a big dog :)
What a good girl! She sure looks lovable.
low-tech cyclist
What a great story! FW, you’re going to have to give that sweet, smart girl a bunch of belly rubs from all of us!
merrinc
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this story. What a great way to start my morning. Now, if I can just manage to avoid any talk of
how we’re totally fucked both politically and environmentallypolitics, I can carry this warm and fuzzy feeling throughout the day.Please give Kira a tummy rub for me!
eemom
I have a yellow lab beagle mix too, and he looks just like this doggie, ‘xceptin he’s older and fatter.
ETA: I love how her tail is wagging in the pic.
Molly
@eemom:
Glad you guys caught that. Yes, she was very proud of herself after wrecking my bed.
We actually canceled our alarm service. The house behind us had one, but the thieves were gone by the time the cops responded. Kira is much more efficient.
FW
quaint irene
That face, that face. That wonderful face!
Hope Kira got a special treat (filet?) after scaring off the bad guys.
(Now what’s also great about this post? It’ NOT ABOUT FOOTBALL!)
Laura Clawson
It is so amazing the way dogs can just tell. I grew up with a sheltie — not a threatening dog, in other words, and a friendly one as well, but on two occasions he showed another side. Most memorably, my father was out for a late-night walk with him and Robin started growling at some guy walking across our elderly neighbors’ lawn. My father was totally apologetic, unable to figure out why our normally sweet dog was acting like this. Turned out, the neighbors’ phone lines were cut that night apparently in preparation for a burglary that never happened.
anon
I’ll see your Lab/Beagle mix and raise you 16 month-old twins.
Kristine
What a great story. Good girl, Kira! Good girl!
::belly rubs::
Agreeing with everyone else about the blurry tail. “I LOVE you, Mom! Ignore the bed.”
ruemara
She’s a doll and a great way to start the week. Love the tail!
wonkie
What a sweetie! I am so happy for her and your family.
Carnacki
What a great girl, she is! What a beautiful and smart girl! Please give her a kiss for me.
I really, really needed a story like this right now. Thank you.
eemom
@quaint irene:
I feels ya, but it’s no use. We’re doomed until the end of January, at which point they’ll start up with basketball, or hockey, or something.
Carnacki
@Laura Clawson: Dogs are so smart about these things. Your sheltie, Kira and my late beloved Lucy, they know just when to turn it on to be loyal protectors. They’re like superheroes with a canine super power.
TaMara (BHF)
I love this picture. It so clearly says, “see, I fixed the bed for you, now perfect for sleeping.”
Good Kira. Here’s a belly rub for you. skritch, skritch.
Glenndacious Greenwaldian (formerly tim)
Kira is awesome. What a great story.
They really do seem to know instinctively which humans are OK and which ones are up to no good, or are unauthorized in the area.
I had wondered if my rescue Helen had a bark at all. For six months barely a peep. Then one evening strangers came to the door, and she let out such a vicious barrage of barks and howls that it was truly scary.
Good Helen… :D
Felonious Wench
@TaMara (BHF):
Yes, she likes to fix things often. She digs holes in order for us to fill them with plants, she chases the cat away from our sofa so she won’t shed on it, she chews on the baseboards so we’ll repaint, things like that. Very helpful.
Seriously, I grew up in a house with thoroughbred Cocker Spaniels, and I always said I wanted a DAWG when I had the yard for one. A mutt. A shelter mutt. And this little girl has repaid the favor in spades. I’ve never seen such a loving creature in my life.
Original Lee
Wonderful, awesome dog. Thanks for the Monday morning smile!