Reinforcements

As early evening approached, the darkness descended. It was my opportunity to quietly slip out of the patio door into the garden. All of my humans had fallen asleep in front of the television and would not be waking up any time soon. I strolled down the path towards the end of the garden, paying particular attention to the wheelbarrow that dad had foolishly left right in front of the fence. All it took was two little jumps and I was over the fence and into the fields beyond.

Beyond the garden wall

Being naughty isn’t exactly in my nature but I am definitely very adventurous. It was very irritating that on this particular evening I hadn’t had the opportunity for a walk. The obvious remedy was to take myself for a stroll this evening, and then I would be content. After all, why not? I looked back at Trixie the cat who was sitting on the garden wall shaking her head and rolling her eyes. There was a little forest on the other side of the field.  I headed in that direction, running along the footpath with my little legs as fast as I could go.

Poppy the explorer

Within minutes the undergrowth swallowed me up and I entered a world full of forest creatures. As I continued through the trees, I caught sight of rabbits and little field mice scurrying to and fro. They were no doubt wondering why a little fluffy Lhasa Apso puppy had entered their domain. This place was very scary and only the moonlight gave me the courage to go on.

Black and white stripes

I came to a small gap in the forest where I could see more clearly. Emerging from the trees, I caught sight of the strangest thing that I had ever seen. It was a creature almost completely dark in colour with a white face and two black stripes running across its furry body. The stripe went from its ears, over the eyes and almost as far as the snout. Our eyes met and we stared for a few seconds, but the deathly silence didn’t last long. It was broken suddenly by a low growling noise.

Faced with danger

Turning to face the noise, I found myself directly in front of a large feral dog with teeth bared and a very nasty look on its face. This animal was intent on causing harm. I should have run but I am a Lhasa Apso and we stand our ground. By now, the black and white creature had disappeared into the mound leaving me to face this nasty wild creature on my own. I was in trouble!

Arrival of reinforcements

The dog moved forward and got ready to pounce but I braced myself. I would go down fighting if I had to, but suddenly I heard a hissing noise. As I tilted my head to see what it was, I was amazed to see Trixie the cat. She was snarling and spitting at our enemy with utter contempt in her blazing eyes. Trixie was joined by a friend. The new arrival, Bella the cat, was just as fierce as Trixie. The nasty creature had lost confidence and moved backwards. Me and the girls all moved forward together, which worried the intruder even more. It just turned and trotted away. Gratefully, we then headed for home.

Nothing to see here

After I thanked my feline friends for helping me, I asked them for one more favour. I needed to get back into my own garden, but with some much needed help. I did eventually get back through, but not without a few attempts and bit of danger. As I strolled back up the garden path, I spotted Harry the hedgehog scurrying towards the greenhouse again. Unlike my last encounter with him, I couldn’t see any threat to his safety and I thought about having a word with him. Then again, after what I have just been through, does it really matter? Once inside the house, I realised that my parents knew nothing about my nocturnal adventure. I think it best to keep them in the dark, don’t you?