Our beagle Kirby has grand desires to be a watchdog.  Every now and then during the day, he’ll run from window to window barking.  Usually, he suspects something sinister is taking place, such as a person walking down the road or a squirrel in the yard (oh, the horror!).

Well, earlier today, Kirby was under the impression that someone was walking along the trail in the public park to the rear of our house.  Jumping up on the porch’s couch to get a better view, Kirby with his hair raised howled to scare away the evil walker.  That’s at least my guess, because Kirby tends to cry wolf (or beagle), so for a while I just let him rant and rave.  Eventually, however, I tired of Kirby’s behavior and I began letting out an occasional half-hearted, “Kirby, stop it,” or “Kirby, no.”

Suddenly, Kirby’s behavior changed.  He jumped off the couch, ran into the living room, and began silently gazing at the fireplace’s glass enclosure.  Thanks, Kirby.  Just as I suspected, Santa was breaking into the house.