Guarding the House

[Daisy]

I have long suspected that most pet dogs are rubbish guard dogs, and it often seems the more noise they make the more likely they are to want to give you a good lick than to take your arm off if you break in.

Eva doesn't bark at say the postman, or the milkman (which is good as he tends to deliver about 1.30 am!) She's got a different pattern of barking at people she knows well. She rarely barks at us arriving home, and is mostly happy to go and sit at the bottom of the stairs while we open the door to callers.

But ! We've recently got a Ring doorbell with a camera which comes up on our phones showing who's there. She's decided that the volume isn't enough for our elderly ears, so she's started adding her voice to the discordant jangle. Ok, she's a dog, it's her job!

But, please, Eva stop warning us that the Ring advert is on the telly!!! There really aren't going to be any surprise visitors stepping out of the tv.

[Oma]

Hahaha she is so funny , look Mum its on telly so must be at our door

Storm would run out the back door if someone came in the front , he is rubbish at being a guard dog , he doesn't bark at all never in fact ,

I think in the 6 year we have had him he may have barked maybe 3-4 times and then it was more of a gruff than a bark .

[Gemini]

Oh Eva!!

[Daisy]

Oma - I bet Storm has a lovely gruff bark though and he's saving it for special occasions. Eva's bark is the only thing I don't love about her - it's piercing and loud and almost yappy - not right for her size and appearance. Fortunately she doesn't use it excessively.

[WeeGranny]

When DD got doggo, he never made a sound! Now he's found his voice and boy do you know he's there! Especially when he wakes you wanting to go out!!! He does talk to us though, by strange noises and head on one side. It's really quite funny listening to him!

Our Great Dane was a deterrent just from the size of her, but she was bit of a scaredy cat. OH once came home without his keys and climbed in through the kitchen window to find Zara in the far corner of the lounge behind the sofa quivering like a leaf! Great guard dog she made!

[Nanto2girls]

Love these doggy stories.

[Daisy]

WeeGranny - oh, that is so funny. Why does it make me think of Scooby Doo, I wonder.

I think a lot of dogs don't bark at first. They must suddenly realise that the home is their territory!

[WeeGranny]

Daisy, I think doggo had been moved around so much before DD got him, that he expected to be moved somewhere else again! Now he thinks both our houses are his territory. He's always slept outside our bedroom door, just in case someone wants to attack us in the night......or maybe it's because he's in and on the bed before anyone can stop him when the door is opened!!!

[Daisy]

WeeGranny - I think rescue dogs are always slightly needy and it takes time for them to feel secure. He probably just likes to be near to you, and unless you're going to climb out of your bedroom window you will have to walk past him to leave the bedroom. We leave our bedroom door open and Eva has the run of the house at night. She usually sleeps on her bed in our room or out on the landing, but sometimes in the wee small hours she'll gently climb onto our bed and snuggle down between us. I think she does that when she's cold, or perhaps needing to be closer to us. I didn't even realise she was on the bed when I got up this morning!

[Plantaholic]

Daisy, she must climb on very stealthily. I miss not having pets around. I think DD and Sil will have another dog when Sil retires. WG, I love the name doggo, how did that come about?

[Daisy]

Plant - Eva does climb up very gently. She very rarely wakes us up! I agree - it's lovely to have at least one pet around, and you do miss them when you're used to having them. xx

[WeeGranny]

Plant, doggo isn't his real name. I just didn't want any visitors on here to pick up his name and recognise him, that's also why I don't refer to my family by name. You can't be too sure even though I know GRU is secure, you don't know who's looking in as a guest. That's also why I don't post photos of family. I rarely use his proper name unless it's calling him back when he's off the lead.

I always remember our dog lying on the bed with my DM when she was at the terminal stage of cancer. Such a big dog and so gentle. She used to rush upstairs to see her, yet after DM died, she wouldn't go upstairs. It was almost as if she knew she wasn't there anymore.

[Gemini]

Very wise WG.
YEO is the only place safe from anyone looking in.

[Daisy]

I agree, WeeGranny. I think most of us are careful about using real names, and as Gem says the private areas of the forum aren't visible to guests. But it's interesting and quite had to choose our pets' names anyway, isn't it. We kept Eva's name when we adopted her, even though she didn't seem to know it. We couldn't come up with another name we all agreed on.

What sweet memories of your dog and your Mum. It's always amazing how gentle big dogs can be. xx

[Plantaholic]

Best nor to use family names of course. Dogs are amazingly sensitive creatures.