July 4, 2020 – Elsa-the-Dog reduced to shaking and shivering due to distant fireworks.
July 5, 2020 – More shaking and shivering due to close-up thunder storms
July 7, 2020 – Hysterical barking at 2:30AM.
Yes, I was awakened at 2:30AM by Elsa-the-Dog’s loud screaming/barking. She NEVER does that. She is a sound and happy sleeper and only sends the alarm bark during daytime hours when the UPS man emerges.
Since it was a hysterical bark
there had to be something amiss.
Elsa and I began a flashlight search of the house. It was a full moon and we could see silver images through the windows so we were checking the outside too. Bill was blissfully sound asleep.
Was it the bear visiting again and
rustling around somewhere near?
I thought maybe it could even be human
and what would I do then?
Was someone trying to get in?
After a room by room search Elsa and I went back to bed. We just got comfortably tucked in when she began the hysterical barking again. This was definitely her alarm bark to signal intruders!
Another search ensued to no avail and we finally gave up at 4:30 AM. But I kept thinking and thinking while Elsa and Bill were then fast asleep.
A sunny day today and this morning I peeked into our attached garage from the relative safety of the mudroom/laundry. The garage was the one place we missed in our moonlight search.
Whoa! There was the answer to Elsa’s warnings. There were torn pieces of something white and a hunk of the drywall ripped out. Some critter was trying hard to create an exit.
Still no idea what it was but it must have got in when the automatic door stayed open as Bill went to get the mail yesterday. That gave the Crazie Critter time and opportunity to explore.
“Hey – this looks like a grand place to raise a family!”
“On the other hand, maybe not.”
“Now how did I get in here in the first place?”
“Wasn’t that big door open a minute ago?”
“I’ll just sit here quietly until dark
and then find my way out.”
“Lemme Out! Lemme Out! Lemme Out!”
Elsa heard it all and warned her human pack that something was amiss. She just wasn’t sure where.
I will never doubt her warning barks again. She knows what she’s talking about and she is now my Super Hero.
Jim would sleep through this too, leaving me and Herbert the Cat to deal with the intruder!
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They do know. My cats, on the other hand, will show the intruder where the jewelry is kept is given some catnip.
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Oh dear Doran, you are MUCH braver than I am. Don’t you remember watching a horror movie and thinking “WHY are they going to check out the noise, of COURSE there’s something bad coming!!!! My guess is a raccoon. Don’t know if you have them there but they can get into (or out of) anything around here.
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Kudos to Elsa the Brave!
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I’d bet raccoon, but I suppose it could have been anything. Even a day critter like a squirrel might have been active at night if it felt the need to escape its accidental imprisonment. Good for Elsa.
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Good girl! Super hero for sure! You should feel safer at night. I thought it was going to be the bear again!
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She does have very acute hearing but the fact that she was happy to go back to bed with you shows that she’s able to control her fear to some extent. Any idea what the critter was?
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Yay, Elsa is on-duty! Good girl! ❤
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It sounds like we lead similar lives…maybe we should get an Elsa. *smile*
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Elsa may be timid about some things, but she sure is a Super Hero when it comes to alerting her loved ones about an intruder. Wonder what it was and where did it go??
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Ditto! We still don’t know who the intruder was…. probably a raccoon.
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We think it may have been a raccoon…. not enough damage to be Bruno the Bear.
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The bear was definitely on my mind so I didn’t feel safe and neither did Elsa. She must have been thinking the same thing.
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I think you are right about the raccoon. The damage was befitting the size.
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She has my surprised admiration and even though she cowering now at the end of a little thunder storm, I am still telling her what a brave little soul she is.
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Yes, I do believe you are right, although we have foxes, possums, bears!, and even bobcats here. We are surrounded by a real forrest. Could be anything I guess – even a fox.
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I love your cats even though I am a dog lover.
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Jim and Bill should meet! Great minds think alike. Herbert? I love the name. I had a boyfriend once by that name.
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I sent something but it just disappeared so forgive if this is a dupe. I was saying Bill and Jim should meet since they are the great minds that think alike.
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I love your dog even though I’m a cat lover!
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Elsa may one day believe you. I hope so.
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