A Barking Matter

Last night, Shea woke me up at 1:30 am barking. I immediately popped out of bed to scold him for barking at such a ridiculous hour. Shea is not a big barker, but the late night bark raised no alarms in my mind.

In the past, if Shea barked at such an hour I'd reach for the mace I had to keep hidden by my bed out of fear. Not really, but I'd certainly be planning my route to the nearest cleaver in the kitchen. Shea's bark was a warning, a sign that something may be up. He didn't even bark when screaming in the streets ensued, so his bark always meant something. Something that got my pulse racing. For, although I didn't always feel unsafe, when alone, I slept with the light on, the door double bolted, and a sense of caution. I wasn't in the suburbs and made sure I reminded myself of that before I went to sleep.

Like I said, I didn't feel completely unsafe. But, I consider myself smart enough to take Shea's barking seriously. In order to be sure there was no danger, I would simply encourage his barking, hoping it would scare away any potential danger.

Now, living with my uncle, I just try to stifle Shea's barking as quickly as possible. I don't want him to wake my uncle. While I know something must trigger it, I don't give a second thought to it being some sort of danger. It may have something to do with the setting.

In fact, one night I caught Shea laying by the front window when he was barking. There was a car a few streets over, and he could see the lights shining through the trees. I guess he is quite the watchdog!

I used to be scared to stay home alone no matter where I was. Shea has really altered that for me. I'm sure when it comes down to it, he would simply lick any intruder, but I feel like he would at least give me a fair warning of what to expect. Other than that, I feel safe with Jeff around. I don't think Jeff would lick the intruder to death. However, his presence, in itself, has always made me rest easier. You can only imagine the comfort I feel when I have Jeff and Shea with me!