On Using Dogs For Security

I have an on-going dispute with the boys. I keep asking them to stop treating cattle in the meadow as if they're a horde of mutant zombie bikers climbing the slope with knives in their teeth. They keep explaining, 'But cattle are really, really important, Uncle Joel...'

Then there was the time Ghost was off visiting the neighbors, and Magnus and Fritz slept right through a couple of people walking right up to the door of the lair...we had words about that one. They've both got to the point where unless Ghost is there to alert them they don't smell or hear visitors till they're actually in the driveway, which isn't exactly the level of security I'm looking for.

I'm thinking about it this morning because I'm in the barn's scriptorium and Ghost is very, very excited about something in or on the other side of the wash. He's had me out three times, and it's raining. It's starting to piss me off. I've told him it had better be a hit team of Randian extremists here to punish me for selfless thought, and he'd better be able to point them out next time. Don't even get me started on how he behaves when he gets a whiff of horse.

Fact is, what dogs think is important and what I think is important doesn't often seem to mesh. I've been thinking I'm going to need to start depending on technology instead.