Size Doesn't Really Matter

Ahhh, get your mind out of the gutter... I know at least someone clicked to read this just from the title...  Anyhoo...

Funny little tale for you today...  It has to do with my furry guys and how they teach me a lot.  You all know my little Murphy.

Yep, this little guy with the innocent eyes.

I may not have told you guys, but Murphy rarely ever barks.  I mean it's not something that happens even once a day.  He only barks when he wants to play with a dog on the other side of the fence at the dog park or if he is really into playing with one of his toys.  He never ever barks at people, and I often joke that if a burglar came in, he would welcome them with a wagging tail and say, "Hey!  Welcome!  I'll show you the good stuff!"  

Well, since the hubby has been away, I've signed up for a program where the yard guys in my neighborhood will cut my grass for free.  They come once a week, and I never know exactly when they might pop in.  They just open the gate to my backyard, cut the grass in literally 5 minutes, and go on their way.  This uncertainty messed with my schedule, though, because I usually leave my sliding glass door and lanai door cracked so the dogs can go in and out as they need to while I'm home.  

The other day I came home from the grocery store, opened the doors to let the dogs out, and came back inside to put away groceries.  Duke followed me inside, and I thought Murphy did too.  You can imagine my surprise when I hear my little Murphy barking his head off and growling outside in the backyard!

Can you imagine this guy growling?

When I ran outside to see what was going on, the yard man was there about to come inside the gate, Murphy was still barking, growling, and running in circles, and Duke just stood there eying the guy really suspiciously.  I told Duke to go inside, and he did, but Murphy was too busy losing his mind to listen to me.  I had to pick him up and bring him in.

 

I wanted to be a little mad, but I couldn't help laughing.  All this little guy (who is usually as docile as a wet dish rag) knew was that no one ever comes in the back gate (except his family... and that's rare).  He knew that it wasn't normal, and that this yard guy with the crazy sounding machine was a stranger... And he had on some weird clothes (long sleeves, long pants, and a mask thing to protect him from flying debris).  In Murphy's little mind, that should not be happening and he had to take action!  It didn't matter to him that the guy weighed 200 pounds, and he only weighs 20.  He was going to take care of business and get rid of him if he could... and if he couldn't, he was going to at least let me know. 

Looking back on it later, I saw the lesson in his little example.  We may be small in this big world, and we may not be able to do everything on our own, but if we see an injustice or something that just isn't right, we have to do something.  We have to start by using our voice to bring attention to it, and then take any little action we can that might help.  If you love something, you fight for it... even if you're not sure you'll win.  You just have to try.  

I've told you before, my dogs teach me a lot... and if they're not teaching something new, they are giving me little reminders of things I need a refresher on.  :)

Because of this little lesson, I want to take a step towards helping a cause that means a lot to me.  You all know I love animals.  I want to help them and let you help, as well.  I plan to donate 20% of the profits from the next 5 pet portraits I book to the Humane Society (or animal charity of the buyer's choice).  Contact me at TailsToTell [at] Live [dot] com if you are interested in a pet portrait, and I'll be happy to give you details.  :)  Or just check out my shop for the portrait listing. 

Have a fantastic Wednesday! 

Oh, and don't forget I'm on Twitter now... Follow me at Tails2Tell if you tweet.  :)

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