This is a lesson I’ve learned from my dog: it’s ok to be scared.

“I was hiding under your porch because I love you!”

She is scared of everything. Recent inanimate objects that have frightened her to the point of growling and then barking at them maniacally include the refrigerator, the bottom of our new dinghy, and a bottle of honey. Yup, a bottle of honey. Let’s pretend I’m good at telling scary stories and set the scene…

It’s late at night (for Lina, that means about 8:30pm). The lights are all off. We’re watching a movie, something dark and serious. We’re drinking tea, because that’s what you do when you live with an Irishman. I put my feet up on the coffee table. Suddenly (cue dramatic music: dun dun dunnn) the table slides ever so slightly, causing the bottle of honey to fall off the edge of the table! AHHHH! Lina lifts her head despite the deep slumber that had sucked her in long ago. She knows that such a horrible noise indicates nothing less than pure evil coming to get us. She must warn us all of the impending danger!

INTRUDER ALERT

WOOFWOOFWOOFWOOFWOOFWOOF

Of course, she’s still far too tired to actually get up and investigate the danger, so she sleepily stays in bed with her eyes essentially shut while barking desperately to save us. After getting up to assuage her fears and assure her that we are not yet at war with Honey Bears, she promptly falls back into the deepest sleep. Curled up in her bed, safe and sound.

Everyone loves a comfy bed!

PHEW! Thank goodness for Lina’s warning or we never would have survived the vicious attack by that bottle of honey. And what did we all learn from this event? Being scared can save lives. We also learned that Lina is the best guard dog ever. I can sleep soundly knowing that she will utterly lose her mind if she is awakened by any strange noise. Of course, she’s too lazy to even get out of bed, but hey, who isn’t?