Joe: I’ve read this whole thread, which I find to be one of the most disturbing threads on dogs that I have ever read.
I remember years ago when my husband had to move to another state for a job, and I had to stay behind to sell the house. We lived far out in the country in the deep woods. We had just finished installing garage doors and touching up paint before he boarded the plane. We did not shut the windows all the way so that the new paint wouldn’t stick.
That night, my Golden Retriever kept waking me up by barking. I was so irritated that I told her to lie down and be quiet. The next morning I found that thieves had pried the newly painted windows open in my garage and stole all of my husband’s tools, plus several cans of gas. I should have listened to the dog! (Although getting the sheriff out there in the middle of the night would have been impossible.)
I’m glad you were well and the thieves didn’t harm you.
Dogs can tell their owners much, when they take the time to listen. :-)
That is horrifying!
Thank God you were not harmed!
I *never* ignore my dogs.
They have distinctive barks for everything and I know when they’re barking just to hear themselves bark, play-barking or barking because something is not right, somewhere.
Over the years, I’ve had dogs save me from things as serious as a wandering kidnapper/rapist [didn’t know what the guy was at the time the dog uncharacteristically and of his own free will, tried to eat him..the cops told me, later], death from smoke inhalation as I slept, an ex who was strangling me to things as ‘minor’ as a small animal trapped in something that would’ve resulted in its death to ‘arcing’ electrical stuff.
A good dog is worth much more than its weight in gold.
[or a Golden Retriever, as the case may be]
:)