Oh, Danny Boy

Dan drives me insane on a daily basis. He steals food from the kitchen counter, he howls at random things outside, and wakes up babies. He steals my spot on the couch, and refuses to move. The dog is a total food-obsessed turd, but he's a sweet turd, and we love him. Sometimes my frustration with him overwhelms me, and I forget what an important role he plays in our family.

He loves the kids wholeheartedly. I am convinced that he would take a bullet for them. They are HIS babies too...plus they give him food whether they are witting or not. Anyone who gives Dan food is a friend for life. I take comfort in Dan's presence, since I am ALONE in the middle of nowhere much of the time. Few people want to mess with a 100+ pound dog who is REALLY loud and intimidating. Shhhhhh! Don't tell anyone that he is a giant ball of mushy love.

Dan has reinforced his importance the past couple nights. Coyotes have bee coming too close to our property for comfort. They make a pretty big racket to announce their presence. It's an unnerving cackling noise that they make. Considering we keep goats, and chickens, which are both tasty coyote snacks the coyotes pose a threat to us. Fortunately, the coyotes want nothing to do with Dan. We let the dogs out, they howl for a few minutes, the coyotes go away, the dogs come back in. Dan and I were enjoying a granola bar at two a.m. this morning when I heard the coyotes. Dan's ears perked up. "You wanna go get 'em, Dan?" I let him out the door and within a few seconds the coyotes were booking it across our neighbor's wheat field. I rewarded Dan with some of my granola bar. I do love that stupid dog.

Coyotes beware!