Wild Dogs; Domestic Tricks
by William Crisp
Living where I do I have become accustomed to all kinds of noises in the night. I even expect weird noises seasonally. Porcupines make a mating racket in June, coyotes get active now and really get vocal in February and bears even make some weird noises. I enjoy the noises and it is one of the reasons I prefer to sleep under an open window; much to my wife’s (Dana’s) chagrin, who likes to sleep under a closed window. She likes it warm, I like it cool. I usually defer to her wishes because I concede that warm is better than cold.
Recently, on a January zero degree night while tucking in, the battle for the window ensued. I snuck it open a crack but was promptly caught and told to close it, yet again, I complied. A little after midnight my bride woke me and told me to listen. She said she could hear a dog, a domestic dog outside. I perked up and suggested we open the window to hear better. Sure enough, after a short time, we both heard a dog barking.