The Intruder

Last weekend was Sister's birthday and I was super excited about it.  You see, I love birthdays (actually, all holidays to be precise).  I love the fun, the food, and the extreme possibility of being able to rip wrapping paper to shreds.  In fact, it has become a bit of a tradition for Pa to attempt to curb my destructive tendencies during holiday present times by putting me on my leash and forcing me to sit next to him.  This event was no different and, although he did manage to cut down on my manic shredding, he couldn't stop me from grabbing that single piece of red tissue paper right out of Sister's hand and ripping it to smithereens.  It goes without saying that I had a grand time!

But then, I noticed the intruder.  He was just staring at me menacingly from alongside the television.  Truth be told, I'm kind of surprised that I hadn't notice him earlier considering that only a few hours prior I had been intently watching a television program on the Animal Planet Channel about a big brown mother bear and her two cubs.  Anyway, I jumped up, approached the intruder and let out a low warning bark.  He didn't budge; he just kept staring at me with his black beady eyes.  "Alright," I thought, "don't say I didn't warn you!"  It was then that I unleashed my big-dog bark, the one I use when I mean business (i.e., when a scary paper bag falls off the table or when a car door slams two blocks away).  Still, despite my best efforts, that brazen intruder didn't move away. 


The menacing intruder.

I blame blind furry for the fact that I didn't notice immediately that Ma, Pa, and Sister were once again laughing at me (this rude behavior is rapidly becoming a habit for them).  In fact, I only noticed it when Ma walked over to the intruder and picked him up.  "It's a birthday card, Rigby, for Sister from your friends Rita, Ralphie, and Brandy," she said.  She let me sniff the greeting card (sadly she wouldn't let me rip it up).  Yeah, it was definitely a card, but the picture on the front continued to unnerve me.  Realizing that I would obsessively bark at that furry face staring back at me for the rest of the evening if steps weren't taken, Ma turned the card around so that it faced away from me.  With the intruder now taken care of, I happily climbed onto my pillow and gnawed on my Nylabone.