rise of the hackles

Blech. I hate ants in the house. On the extremely rare occasion when they discover a break in our vigilance and find some tasty microscopic morsel in the dishwasher, ants invariablly find it and tell their friends back at the hill. Then they tell two friends and they tell two friends and so on and so on. The next thing I know, little groups of soldier ants come marching in, hopeful to find treasure but equally prepared to meet their demise, and I am ready to oblige.

I had hoped that the loss of four ant squadrons this past week would have sent a message back to the their leader that this mission was futile. I even let some lucky soldiers go back home under cover of night in hopes that they would tell the others that the treasure was no longer there. But yesterday's raid was the last straw. The ants were relentless, and I had grown tired of this war. It was time to call in the big guns.

Unaware of my ant battle and confusing my getting ready for the bug guy as a sign I might be leaving the house, Baxter trundled off to where dad was working this morning. He hunkered down in his little office bed. Perfect, I thought. I can close the door and the little kielbasa will be none the wiser when the bug guy came. Dad turned on the fan in hopes of drowning out even more noise.

This peacekeeping strategy worked fairly well at first. No barking when the front door was opened. Barely a bwoof when the bug guy made his way into the kitchen. The situation on Baxter's defense radar was at worst Defcon 4, something might be amiss.

Things became more suspicious for Baxter after the bug guy came back from his outside duties. While we discussed next steps in the ant battle, I could hear the barking. Baxter's own war was brewing. A stranger's voice detected on the Baxter radar. Defcon 3, suspicious activity within proximity and awaiting presidential orders for further action. Baxter was primed and ready to go, but dad made him stay in his bed.

By the time the bug guy left and I went back upstairs and opened the office door, Baxter could contain himself no longer. A quick sniff and the little kielbasa was off in a flash, darting downstairs with nose held high, tracing the bug guy's path with amazing accuracy and barking all the way. Intruder alert confirmed. Scanning for hostile forces. Defcon 2 automatically enabled.

Baxter's tour of the duty ended at the front door, where he could see the bug guy's truck still in the driveway. There our little brown defender held his ground, barking with his hackles raised til the bug guy drove off. Satisfied, Baxter now sits in my lap awaiting lunch. At least one of us has won their battle for the day.


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