Winston and the pickup truck
Winston was a dog, not just any dog, Winston was a mighty dog and he knew it! Winston was very territorial, his yard was his! Rather small for a basset hound he had two accomplices of equally small stature in the form of his two brothers Max and Brutus. Max and Brutus were followers, they would rather sleep in the sun than almost anything else, but they obeyed their pack leader Winston.
One January day a rare snow fall began, none of the brothers had seen snow and they were fascinated by the white fluffy stuff falling from the sky. Their big noses plowed trenches in the the fallen snow and were quickly covered up only to be plowed again as the dogs ran around the yard.
Winston like many mighty heroes had his nemesis, actually he had several objects he tilted at from time to time but today it was the neighbors pickup truck. As the snow began to fall harder visibility began to wain and cars slowed down to a crawl on the slippery road surface. I noticed Winston was watching the cars drive slowly past. He had never chased a car, but he appeared to be having thoughts of some importance concerning those monsters slowly driving by. He watched intently for several minutes until my neighbor came along in his pickup truck.
Winston had a history with that pickup truck, Winston liked to piss on it’s tires, but it always been standing still or going too fast to catch before now. Winston gave his war hoop and his two brothers waddled over to be his back up. Winston was going to kill the truck! It was plain to see for anyone who spoke dog that the neighbors pickup truck was going to be challenged.
Winston led his pack mates out into the street and confronted the pickup truck. Snarling, growling, and barking so viciously loud that my neighbor stopped his truck just in front of the three dogs arranged in their triangle attack position, Winston in the front and Max and Brutus standing on each side but slightly behind Winston.
Those three doofy hounds began raise a ruckus that was downright freighting. Snarling and barking like crazy dogs my neighbor john stopped his truck, rolled down the window, and asked me what he should do. I told him to honk his horn,The noise would surely scare the dogs back into my yard.
But I had forgotten the hatred Winston had for that truck, when ever we would next door to cook out or just enjoy a beer in the sun Winston would always piss on each of the trucks tires and though subtle dog communication instruct his brothers to follow Winston’s lead in an effort to piss as many times as possible on all the tires of my neighbor’s truck.
But today the truck was driving very slowly down the street and Winston saw his chance to do battle with the plastic and steel monster.
Starting to bark, growl, and snarl so loud it was hard to believe they were the lazy couch hounds I loved and allowed to live in my house!
My neighbor looked at me standing in the yard and gave me this “what do I do look”?
I told him to scare them with the horn again, so he blared the horn loudly once more, but it didn’t have the effect I expected. Winston suddenly charged forward and attacked the trucks bumper
Making a real effort to bite a piece of the plastic off the truck.
Finally, I had to go out and pick up ball of snarling fury and take him back to his yard. His pack stopped immediately and meekly followed into the back yard and then into the house where Winston planted himself in from of the treat jar and barked for a treat.
Evidently, he was quite proud of himself for stopping this big metal monster and thought he and his compatriots deserved a treat. I gave them a cookie and they went to their beds for much needed nap from so much activity…