We weren't actually in danger, but he did his best to save us anyway.
You've probably heard stories about a dog or cat alerted their person of a fire that sparked inside the house thus saving the household from danger. I wanted to share a story about my small dog's attempt to save me and my elderly dog, but we weren't in any danger.
We Were Somewhere He Hated
My dogs and I recently stayed at my Mom's house for the US Thanksgiving holiday. Rascal, my small dog, loves my Mom but hates everything about staying at her house.
I'm pretty sure Rascal thinks of her house as a prison or torture chamber of sorts. A lot of his hates and fears are often present. Loud noises, dark rooms, little natural lighting, my hyper young adult nephew, excessive cigarette smoke and smell, no privacy fence in the backyard, the neighbor's children, and the neighbor's constantly rotating visitors are all things Rascal can't stand.
Every morning he waits by the garage door hoping we were finally leaving. Most morning we'd leave for fresh air (as a non-smoker, I can't stand a chain-smoking house) and return a few hours later only for him to throw a temper tantrum in the backseat of the car.
In fact, the "Sad Dog" image above is the look he gives me every time we get inside my Mom's house. It doesn't last long, but it's a consistent look.
I feel guilty bringing Rascal when I visit Mom and family, but I also don't want to leave him behind. We're a pack, and the pack needs to stay together when we can do so. After all, he's my elderly dog's best friend. It's not right to keep Rascal and Shadow apart, but Shadow sticks by my side like glue. So, Rascal goes wherever Shadow and I go.
Small Guard Dog 24/7
Rascal is the guard dog of the pack. He's always on high alert and lets us know if there's a potential threat.
At my Mom's house, his senses work overtime to make sure his best friends, me and Shadow, are safe from danger. He works as a sentry with different posts within and outside the house.
When I'm in my old childhood bedroom, Rascal sometimes guards the bedroom door. Nobody enters or exits without his permission, except for me and Shadow. Even my Mom cannot enter without Rascal's permission. If Mom doesn't ask him first, he tends to yell at her for disobeying orders.
When Shadow eats, drinks, or goes out to potty, Rascal's got his back. At my Mom's house, they don't eat at the same time. Rascal keeps an eye out for potential danger to ensure the safety of his best friend and expects the same in return when it's his turn to eat, drink, or go out to potty. If Shadow or I won't go out to the backyard with him, Rascal will 'hold it' until one of us can watch his back.
Heroism in Face of Danger
I'm not always with my dogs, although that would be the perfect life for me. There are times when I can't take my dogs with me, like Thanksgiving Day when my Mom and I spent time with family at my brother's house.
It was a traditional Thanksgiving meal (I think) with turkey, ham, stuffing, and more American food options. My Mom didn't eat any of it and opted for rice and some left over she brought with her.
Mom isn't all that familiar with the American Thanksgiving meal. Growing up, she always cooked Filipino entrees as the holiday meal for the family. She sometimes eats American food, but not often.
The next day she craved dried fish and other smelly (to me) Filipino dishes. While I napped in my old bedroom, she started frying fish on the stovetop.
I personally don't like dried fish and the other smelly (to me) Filipino dishes. It's not something I cook or eat, so it's not something Rascal was familiar with.
I think Rascal thought my Mom was starting a fire. He came into my room barking at me. Rascal jumped onto the bed, on my chest barking, and back onto the floor. This happened a few times until I opened my eyes and looked at him.
When he noticed I was looking at him, he started talking. I don't know how to describe this except to say it resembled a mumbled version of Scooby Doo's dialogue. Or better yet, search for a video of a husky talking. That describes Rascal talking better.
I knew something was wrong because Rascal's actions were unusual. He's always careful to not hurt me, so him jumping on my chest alone got my undivided attention.
After he explained whatever he told me, he started to head out the door and right back in. That's Rascal's normal way of telling me to follow him, except this time it was hurried. He was obviously in a rush.
Once I got up and followed him into the hallway where Shadow laid, Rascal started pawing at Shadow's face. This action was also unusual for Rascal.
As Shadow started to get up, Rascal placed himself under Shadow right side. Shadow has arthritis and at his old age cannot get up as easily or quickly. However, Rascal was in a rush and used his body weight to help Shadow get upright.
Rascal's urgency got me worried. At this point, I didn't smell Mom's cooking. Instead, I thought about Mom's old house and the many outdated issues she was having contractors work on. Gas leak or electrical fire came to mind.
Once Shadow was standing fully upright, Rascal started circling the both of us. He was herding us to the backyard. To get to the backyard, we had to go through the kitchen.
As we followed his lead to the back door, I saw my Mom at the stove. She was placing a large fish onto a skillet. I knew it wasn't long before that smell filled the house along with the cigarette smoke and smell.
Rascal started scratching at the back door to get it opened. I opened the back door. Rascal pulled at my jeans with his teeth, yet another unusual behavior.
I headed outside with Rascal. Rascal probably did a head count and noticed Shadow wasn't outside with us. He ran inside and nipped at Shadow's heels until Shadow got annoyed enough to get out of the house.
Rascal then herded us further into the backyard. Once we were safe in his eyes, he calmed down and sat on the grass. His pack was safe, but he left my Mom in the house to perish.
It was obvious to me at that point that Rascal thought Mom was going to kill us with her cooking. That's actually not far from the truth because Mom's cooking often makes me ill.
Rascal's sense of smell is immaculate. He can smell a rain shower a mile away. In that case, he'll ask to go out and potty before the rain shower makes it to our location.
In this case, he smelled the fish before Mom prepped it for frying. My guess is the smell was foreign to Rascal and he therefore considered it a significantly high threat.
To be certain, I went back inside and checked the house. It didn't take long for the fried fish to emit a strong smell. I was pretty sure there was no real threat, just the threat of smelling something horrible (to me) for an extended time.
While I walked around the house, Rascal was at the door barking for me to go back outside. After I determined my Mom wasn't in any imminent danger, I returned outside and played with the dogs in the backyard.
After about a half hour, Shadow and I went back into the house. Rascal remained outdoors until the strong smell was gone. My primarily indoor dog became an outdoor dog for an hour and a half.
My Thoughts
I learned a lot about my small dog that day. Rascal:
loves me and Shadow unconditionally.
knows how to wake me with urgency and without actually hurting me.
will try to talk to explain something important to him.
knows how to get and keep my attention.
will do whatever it takes to get Shadow up and moving when it's not easy for Shadow to do so as an elder.
knows how to herd me and Shadow to get us where he wants us to go.
will constantly bark at me when he thinks I'm doing something stupid.
thinks my Mom is trying to kill us all.
won't bother to save my Mom.
In all seriousness, his actions were just a reminder of the bond we have and his loyalty to his pack. Rascal could've tried to flee for his life on his own, but he chose to take those who were important in his life with him.
Oh, and he probably really believes my Mom is trying to kill us all.
What's Next?
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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