Went outside tonight to do my nightly P&P (that's pee and patrol), when I noticed something wasn't right in the chicken coop. Although I would very much like to have the chickens for dinner myself, you can bet your last squeaky toy that I'm not going to let anything else eat them. Mom's awfully fond of them, and, they're sort of becoming family...in the way that creatures can be family when you'd gladly have them poached with gravy...but, anyway, the point is no other critters are going to hurt them--not on my watch!
But just as I was getting into some good, scary barking at the young upstart that was trying to get my chicks, Mom came outside fit to be tied. Something about "neighbors" and it being late and "damned crazy terrier". After the third "inside" command, I figured I'd better do as I was told, chicks to protect or not. I went in, and, without even a word of thanks, Mom roughly wiped off the mud from my paws, scolding me the whole time.
And then, the lightbulb went off in her head. (Aside: If you're going to successfully train a human you have to always be watching for those lightbulb moments--the times when they all of a sudden "get it".) Her face screwed up in a funny smile, she grabbed a flashlight, and walked back out to the coop.
Sure enough, she found that this ferocious beastie had already breached the outer run perimeter and was attempting to crawl into the coop with the ladies. Two seconds alone with him and I could have finished him off forever, but Mom insisted that he was just a baby who didn't know any better. Because by that time she was loving-me-up-to-the-skies for my heroic deed, I was feeling gracious and let the culprit live.
