The Intruder

I was dreaming. My family had been saved yet again by their devoted Lhasa Apso guard dog. My parents were so happy they had a dog like me to look after them. Treats were dropping onto me from above and then…I woke up. My concealed position at the bottom of the little garden was really cosy and I had obviously fallen into a deep sleep. I yawned and looked around. It was very quiet. Mum was in the house but dad was nowhere to be seen.

Man in Black

I was just about to doze off again when the side gate opened. I could not see the gate from where I was sitting but I have really good hearing and recognised the sound even though it was opened and closed very quietly. As I watched, a figure emerged from the passageway, walked silently to the back door and then slipped inside. I was now fully alert and moved forward toward the door which the intruder had left half open.

The Search

When I was younger I would have barked my head off by now but this needed to be handled in a different way. I crept into the kitchen and looked around. No sign of the intruder. I moved on. The hall and the front room were also deserted. Oh no! The unwanted visitor had moved upstairs. Mum was alone up there. This was it. Poppy to the rescue yet again. I charged up the stairs barking and whooping determined to save my mum but when I burst through the bedroom door I found it empty. In fact, the whole house was empty. I was alone.

The Confrontation

I retreated down the stairs and back into the hall. It was only then that I noticed the front door was ajar and I could hear voices. I peered through the gap. A tall dark figure stood outside the door. I heard mum’s voice and the door was abruptly shut in my face. What an absolute cheek! I had to move fast. Remembering that the back gate was still open I raced through the house and made for the front garden. As I charged through the gate I saw mum sitting on the front step with the intruder standing above her. He was holding some sort of club in his hand.

The Attack

I must have been making a lot of noise because they both turned and stared at me in amazement. No time was wasted! I just launched myself at the stranger. Nobody was going to hurt my mum, not ever. This man would have to deal with an almost fully grown Lhasa Apso. We’re the best guard dogs in the world. Just at that moment, I heard my dad’s voice telling me to stop. Believe me, when my dad shouts at me like that, I stop.

The explanation

I looked up the path and saw my Dad, my brother and a female human who I had never seen before. The female was holding another tiny human in her arms. Oh dear! It turns out that my dad had gone to the station to pick up my brother and bring him to the little house. My brother had a surprise for us all because he brought my sister and the intruder with him.

I had better stop calling him that. It’s a bit rude. My sister lives a long way from us. Mum and dad had not seen her for ages. All of them had a lot to talk about and so I returned to my spot in the back garden and left them all alone. Later on, we all played a ball game in the garden using the wooden club I had seen earlier. Well, we all make mistakes, don’t we!

See you next week