Ahhhh Rigby, my sweet puppy.
She is a cuddle queen, a food grubber, and my shadow. She belongs to all of us, but her heart belongs to me. She is my “ferocious” protector. She is also a small dog who BARKS SO FREAKING MUCH. Things that make Rigby bark include:
- the wind
- Annie passing gas
- the FedEx guy
- ghosts
- neighbors walking in our hall
As you can imagine, we are not thrilled about Rigby’s incessant and LOUD barking. There is one good thing about it though – there’s no way anyone could ever get near a window without Rigby losing her mind. It has made me feel safe when home alone, or especially when home alone with Annie. Rigby is the best alarm system in the world.
Or so I thought.
One night last week I was sitting at the desk in our living room, doing some work. Annie was sleeping, and Mike was in the bedroom getting ready for bed. Something caught the corner of my eye, and I looked up towards my front door…
….which was OPEN and a PERSON was STANDING THERE.
I screamed so loud I’m sure you all heard it. The person quickly backed out of the door as Mike came running out of the bedroom. He went into the hall after the intruder.
Mike came back after a minute. It turned out that the intruder was a woman visiting someone in our building, but got off on the wrong floor and was terribly sorry for frightening us. Um. YEAH! Our building is secure, you have to be buzzed in to enter, so we’ve always felt pretty safe.
Anyway, even though it wasn’t anyone with devious plans, I nonetheless was freaked out. Big time. I couldn’t catch my breath. My heart was beating a mile a minute. It was bad.
And then I looked across the room and saw Rigby relaxing on the couch. Here someone had not only come near our home – but literally came into it – and Rigby, the world’s best guard, Miss Barks-a-lot, hadn’t let out a peep. WTF, Rigby? Six years she has barked constantly at everyone and everything, and now, the one time we need her to step up, and she dropped the ball.
So annoying. Of course five minutes later she was back to barking at dogs on the TV. I tell ya, if she wasn’t so darn cute….
Madi G. says:
LOL — I hear ya on this one!
Never trust your dog to raise the alert!
Case in point: We were selling our house a while back. Realtors were *required* to call prior to a showing, so we could get our dogs out of the house. Our 6 dogs include 3 pit bulls (2 of whom were rescued from abusive situations; one of whom was *trained* to be aggressive toward humans as a “watch dog.”)
Needless to say, we are very careful about bringing people into our home when our dogs are present.
Our realtor knew the situation; he was told to convey this information to other realtors who showed the house.
Despite this, a sneaky realtor who had previously visited (and thus, knew the lockbox code to get the key) decided to show our house without any advance notice. The dogs were all home alone, running loose.
We were both at work.
My husband returned home to find the realtor and her clients leaving our home; they had just finished viewing it. My husband was horrified!
What were these people thinking, walking into a house with six large dogs, three of whom are pit bulls (and one of whom has a history of aggression toward strangers, especially men!!) ????
I can tell you that they’re very dramatic when someone comes to the door — the barking, jumping at the door, etc. sounds like there’s a pack of wild animals in there! They sound wild and aggressive.
Yet the dogs let these people into our house. They did not act aggressively. In fact, the realtor and his clients commented on how “sweet” and “delightful” our dogs were.
WTF?!?!?
I’ve been a canine behaviorist and trainer for years. I’ve worked with dogs, and in particular, aggressive dogs, for nearly 2 decades. If you asked me to predict what would have occurred if 3 strangers (2 of them men) entered my house with only the dogs home, I’d predict bloodshed.
Yet they were not aggressive. Quite the opposite — they were “delightful” and “sweet.”
The only explanation I can come up with: The dogs must have been stunned — too stunned to do anything. Their barking and growling and jumping against the door antics usually do the trick quite effectively.
They must have been completely and utterly stunned that these people actually walked into the house!
I know I am!!
I *know* dogs. I train them. I rescue them. I’m a certified behaviorist and trainer. I’ve been working with them for years. And I would be frightened to enter my house, if they weren’t my dogs!
What were these people thinking? Better yet, what were my dogs thinking??
Dogs can be unpredictable about “intruders.” That’s the only thing I know for sure!!
-Madi G.
TamaraL says:
Wow!! What a story! We have a Jack Russell/Chihuahua mix and I would SWEAR that he would bite any stranger that enters our home…as he does with any stranger…but I might be surprised!
Now that I think about it, there have been just a couple of people over the years that have walked in and our dog just…liked them. No reason, that I could tell. Most people he tries to kill!
Dogs! Go figure!!
Janet says:
I’m a firm believer that they guard us, not the house and that being so if were not home there is nothing to guard, unless of course someone tried to take/go into/go near their crate if they have one:)
Makes total sense to me and Heather, maybe she knew there wasn’t a threat to you guys which is why she didn’t sound off(I know wind isn’t a threat either)?? Just a thought
Madi G. says:
Your theory is definitely correct for some dogs — some dogs.
Dogs tend to get yappy and/or aggressive for three reasons:
– Self-protection (most common in abusive situations; fear is a big component)
– Owner protection (fear can be a component, but not always)
– Property protection (most common in dogs who are the “alpha” in the home. This can include protecting food, toys, bed, etc.)
One of my smaller dogs, who was home that day, was very protective of me (a Min Pin, who drew blood many times biting ankles! She was rescued from a neglect situation, so when she bonded, she *bonded* — very common in the recovery process for dogs who have been neglected) But if you removed me from the equation, she was fine with strangers.
There are some dogs who are protective of their property. That one pit bull in particular (Cooper) was rescued from a home where he was left to live outside the home and he was trained to attack “intruders.” He had attacked 4 people before he came to the attention of the authorities; he was doing what he had been trained to do.
On top of that, he had no positive relationship with the residents of the home. They were very abusive to him (he still has the scars). And the only food he received was from the trash can; his water? Runoff. So he wasn’t protecting his owners. In this case, he was likely protecting himself. Dogs placed in an abusive situation often get aggressive toward humans because they’re taught that humans cause pain and fear.
Thank goodness we were able to save him — we were his last chance before execution. Now, he’s a very sweet, confident, obedient, loving dog. Uncomfortable with some strangers, but not aggressive…but he was fresh out of his old home when the realtor broke in a few years ago, so you can imagine my shock (and delight! Had he exhibited aggression in the care of a rehabber/trainer –me! — he would have been euthanized.)
I suspect Rigby is owner-protective. And I think Janet is on to something — I don’t think she perceived a danger. But I suspect that she didn’t see/hear/smell the “intruder” — she should have, at minimum, let out a “shocked/surprised” reaction of barking. Like Heather, she would not expect to see someone just standing in the doorway like that.
Her lack of reaction tells me that she may have been mostly asleep when the incident occurred (and like humans, I believe that dogs can take real world stimuli and integrate it into their dreams when they’re half-asleep).
Most dogs are conditioned to associate the presence of a stranger with the sound of the doorbell ringing. The doorbell didn’t ring; so perhaps she only smelled the visitor — that wouldn’t necessarily be enough to rouse her from sleep.
It’s also very possible that Rigby’s hearing and/or sight are ailing. Very possible, as she’s getting older. For instance, a dog her age is probably beginning to exhibit signs of nuclear sclerosis (you can see a good image of this condition here: http://animaleyecare.net/diseases/cataract.htm).
Whatever the cause, it’s definitely interesting, but totally believable in my experience! Even as someone who’s very well-versed in dog psychology, they continue to surprise me!!
Madi
Jenny says:
What a weird response from Rigby!
If I were lost in your building, I still wouldn’t walk into a srtanger’s apartment. It seems like something is missing from this lady’s story. I’m glad you saw her and you’re okay!
heather says:
Our dog barks like a mad thing when someone dares to walk by our home on the city owned sidewalk.
We ended up trying a citronella collar, worked like a charm, barking has stopped.
Becca says:
I hear you on that one. A few years ago my partner and I lived in an apartment when our friend decided to mess with us. He was able to sneak in the door, make his way through the apartment and into our living room without the dog so much as lifting her head. Nice.
She did redeem herself when we were dog sitting and a different friend came in the middle of the night (announced) to pick up her dog. She was not letting her in without a fight.
Either A. my dog has learned her lesson and is willing to stand up for what is hers (ours), or, B. my dog wants to protect her dog friends but not us.
Hm…
Margie says:
My sweet cat, Boochie, was my guard cat. As he was the only one allowed to sleep with me, he was my protector. If he bolted straight up, in the middle of the night, I would to and be off to investigate.
Nikki says:
My parents have an adorable puppy named Bootzie- she’s awesome, but for a little dog she also barks a lot. We got something we call “the button”, it’s called Bark Off, I believe, and you can get it just about anywhere. You turn on the button, and when the dog barks it lets out a dog whistle which stops them from barking. Sometimes we don’t even have to turn it on- we just say “I’m gonna get the button” and she closes her mouth!
However, while Bootzie barks all the time, she’s not a good guard dog- she’ll just run to the door wagging her tail, not barking at all!
Rebecca says:
She is a beautiful dog. And maybe Rigby thought the lady at the door had bacon?
Jen says:
Oh my gosh I had a similar thing happen last week! I too have a small dog who barks at the TV, cats walking on the street (even though we’re on the 2nd floor), cars driving by, neighbors walking in the hallway, etc. I too have always felt safe because of this. Until last week. Our living room has a door that opens up to our 2nd floor porch. We have 2 windows that face the porch. Bandit, my fearless protector, often sits in a chair at one of these windows and barks as the world goes about its business. Last week, I was sitting on our couch reading and Bandit was in the window. I saw something out of the corner of my eye and when I looked up I saw a man climbing up onto our porch and walking past our window…the one Bandit was sitting in. It made me jump, but I soon realized it was our new upstairs neighbor who must have forgotten his key and was using the fire escape to get into his apartment. Fine…but Bandit did not make a peep. In fact, he didn’t even seem to look at the guy who was walking inches in front of him. People apparently can’t walk by our building on the street, but they can feel free to climb up onto our porch any old time.
Minnyc says:
I always keep our place locked up like Fort Knox. I watched a lot of dateline & 48 hours mystery. I have to giant dogs. They are the sweetest but also wonderful watch dogs. One 110 pound boxer & one is a 75 pound pit bull. They hear everything. They know when the UPS truck is around the corner & they get ready for him at the front door. Well, last week my husband went out to go to work one morning. He got into his car which was parked in the driveway & it had been broken into (he forgot to beep the alarm I guess bc we never heard one during the night). The dogs sleep under the window in our bedroom. The driveway is directly below the 2nd floor window. They were slacking off that night. rigby is so cute. Maybe she was so tired because it was late that her spidey senses were compromised.
Becky Campbell says:
Am I the only one who read that title as “Broken Arm”? I kept reading thinking the dog had broken an arm…then I thought maybe you’d tripped over the dog running from the big bad “dude”…then I was just so freaked out about the scream and all that, I forgot about the “broken arm”…*sigh*
Kelly says:
She was just tired.
My dogs go bezerk everytime they see anything on the street, or any car door slam, except if they are sleeping. Then they will sleep through anything…
Lamb says:
Oooh, you got my heart racing with this post! Thank goodness it was just a lost woman (something I am guilty of doing back in my apartment living days – at my very own apartment complex!) An angry, drunk man, who was screaming about all the horrible things he was going to do when he got inside, did try to break in one morning (5am! Quite the way to wake up) when I lived on my own, but luckily my apartment had a security guard. I had programed the security phone # into my cell phone and called while leaning against the front door, which the intruder was trying to break down!
Whew! I feel all jittery just writing that!
AngieM. says:
LOL!!! that is hilarious, yet scary at the same time. also, i find it strange that the woman just walked into your apartment..i mean unless it was her first time visiting someone in the building..so weird
Lamb says:
EEP! The doorbell rang just as I submitted that last comment. I jumped sky high and my dogs are in a frenzy. Really could have done without that right now, UPS man!
Penbleth says:
That would have the scared the whatsit out of me. Still, it is better than our neighbour’s dog who is outside all the time, barks constantly and is beginning to to bark and snarl at people visiting my house. I hope they do something about it soon because I’ll have to speak to them and then I’ll have to come in to my own house and die.
Kristin says:
I feel your pain. As I’m reading this, my dog is currently going apeshit over… his reflection in a window. Yet no reaction half an hour ago to the mailman ringing the doorbell (which I’m kind of glad about, but kind of not…)
JenC says:
You’re going to get a lot of these stories I bet.
This reminds me of Christmas 2001, 6 months after my Dad had a pretty horrific stroke. He was back on his feet, but just barely. I had a not quite 2 month old with me and was visiting (yes I took a 7 week baby from DC to Detroit by car, I still imagine what fellow drivers thought of me breastfeeding by leaning over her car seat by I digress).
Anyway… My cousin was hosting Christmas that year for the first time. He lives in one of those generic new subdivisions with large houses that all look the same. We saw my aunt’s white car (or so we thought), pulled in the driveway, gathered all the paraphenalia needed for a baby and a recovering stroke patient (like a walker and bouncy seats), and went in through the open garage since there were less steps for my Dad to navigate. My nephews raced in the house ahead of us, my father with my brother holding him up, I have the baby, my husband the rest of the baby gear. My Dad was offered a seat immedately and sat down, my nephews (3,5, and ran into the living room to look at the Christmas toys. We stood in the kitchen and tried vainly to recognize any of the people sitting down having Christmas dinner, when we realized with horror, these people were not our people! The people that had offered my ‘Dad a seat were out of town relatives and thought we were from the other side. Meanwhile, my Mother comes in with a plate of Greek meatballs, starts rooting around the kitchen for a platter and didn’t believe my Dad when he told her we were in the wrong house. She told him that since the stroke he was having difficulty remembering people and he asked her if this looked like a room full of Greeks to her (they were all tall, our family is short)? They thought it was hilarious, as did we, they even offered us wine. We declined, but my cousin sent over a nice bottle later (they didn’t know them either, we were off an entire street – same number, different street). I bet they still talk about us.
Jeanie says:
Bless Rigby’s cute little heart. I have a shih tzu that will give Rigby a run for her money. She barks (and barks and barks) at everything, and she’s waaaay louder than my big dogs. When she’s in my son’s room, she barks if one of my two other dogs tries to go in there, to keep them out. Jeez. Being a dog lover, I enjoyed reading all of the comments.
Christina says:
My parent’s dog looks like a wolf and typically barks at anything or anyone he is not familiar with. Last weekend while they were out of town, I had instructions to let him in the house at noon for the heat of the afternoon. The neighbor was to feed him early that morning and leave him outside for me.
I get a call from the security system about 11:30. And then my parents call. After finally getting the alarm company on the phone they tell me the motion detector in the hall had been activated. As I was on the phone with them, they said the motion detector went off again. This was weird to me as the dog is always kept in the back few rooms where the motion detector does not work.
I am 9 months pregnant, so I told them to please send the police and I would meet them at the house. I show up and a police officer is on the front porch and explains to me the dog is in the house roaming it freely. i think this is odd, because he is not barking. I open the door, the dog comes out and greets me and then goes over to the police officer for attention and sits at his foot to enjoy attention from a stranger.
Clearly, my parent’s guard dog, is quite trusting of others and really just wants attention. So much for protecting the house and the family!
amourningmom says:
Maybe Rigby was having a really good doggie dream? Our dogs also bark at TV dogs (even if they are cartoons, Chik-fil-a cows or Budweiser clydesdales). Take care.
Jessi @ Quirky Cookery says:
Well maybe she’d already had a mental conversation with the woman and knew she was no harm? Or something psychic-dog-related like that….
Jessica says:
My Maltese…Milo and Maisy are the same way!!! Well…except for the laying on the couch watching an intruder walk through my door part!
Kutusha says:
Here´s a related story (Sorry for the long post):
My father owns a house right on the beach and each year for Easter all the family gathers there to have a nice vacation.
Two or three years ago my boyfriend and I got there two days earlier so we could have some time for ourselves before everybody arrived (We are a very big family) we had one of our dogs with us at that time. We went around the property a couple of times and the guy who looks after the place showed up only to be scared to death by our dog, she was barking and trying to bite him and what not. We unloaded the car, put on our bathing suits and headed to the water, our dog stayed on the porch (Which, by the way happens to be the main entrance of the house) and got back to the house like 40 minutes later.
As we headed back we realized something was “off”: Yeah someone entered the house walked past our sleeping dog and took our suitcases along with the camera and some other things.
That was the last time we trusted our precious dog being a “great alarm” hehehehe
Expat Mom says:
That woman’s story sounds a mite suspicious to me . . . first, who the heck opens a door, even if they are visiting a friend? And who doesn’t knock even if the door is open, or at least call “hello?” Second, the fact that she took off is a bit odd. If you scare someone by standing in their doorway, why wouldn’t you say sorry instead of running? :S I wouldn’t feel so safe either!
As for Rigby, maybe she needs some guard dog lessons? lol
Elizabeth says:
OMG my dog is the same way!!! I swear if someone broke into our house though she’d probably give the intruder her blanket or a toy then get back on the couch to sleep…ahh the life of a dog.
Becca says:
Dog or no dog – always keep your front door locked. Always!
Even if Mike is home, especially if he is not. There are too many cases of home invasions/robberies where the criminal was able to just walk in. Rigby’s barking might scare off some, but others would see her size and scoff. You guys live in a big city, I’m actually very shocked to hear that you commonly leave your doors unlocked.