Bruce, the Reverse Leader

So our dog, Bruce, is named for famous Scottish leader, Robert the Bruce.  At night, he often tries to herd me towards the back door; this means he either (1) wants to check whether there are any enemies out there, or little defenseless possum babies, or (2) obey an imperative of nature, namely to pee.  It should be noted that Brucie came with an extended reservoir, which enables him to water every tree and suspicious shrub he encounters in our walks around the neighborhood.

I walked up to the back door, and looked out through the glass.  Very often, there is our (indoor/outdoor) cat waiting to gain admittance.  Sometimes Brucie hears her at the door, and lacking the means to be specific with what he wants, he uses the old 'Want to pee, or something' routine. 

So I looked out, and announced to Brucie "There seems to be a watering-can that's trying to come in.  Be careful, Brucie."

He just looks at me like, OK, OK, this is all good, lemme out!  And I let him out. 

He races to the bottom of our yard, ready to bark at anyone or anything that moves.  All the squirrels know his limitations, and just stop what they're doing and freeze when he's looking in their direction.  He then barks at cars,  bicycles, and pedestrians.  (Hey, I'd bark at pedestrians walking in our back alley at night.  What the heck?)

I call him in, because the wife does not appreciate the barking, which offends her sensibilities.  He's half Beagle, which we verified through an impartial agency.  The rest of him is poodle, and other things.

Next door, there is a canine bulldozer of a dog, called Tex.  I call him T-Rex, for short.  T-Rex's BFF is Brucie.  When he gets bored--usually in the daytime--he issues a quiet 'woof!'  The wife does not mind that.  In contrast, when Brucie gets excited, he issues a full bore howling bark, which we can hear inside the house, 100 feet away.  (I mean, the wife can; I'm half deaf, for reals.)

I don't have a punchline to end this post, but it's clear that I'm practicing all my Dad Jokes on little Brucie.  A watering can that desires ingress?  I ask you ...

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