<div style="font-size:10pt;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;color:black;"><p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Hi group2,</span></p><p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><br></span></p><p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Just a reminder that your pieces are due today. Also, below you will find my congtribution.</span></p><p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></p><p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Leonard</span></p><p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">-----</span></p><p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">word count: 960</span></p><p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Barney,
a Hard-Working Dog<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Occasionally it is nice to applaud the merits of a good friend.
So, I would like to tell you about how wonderful my dog Barney is in fulfilling
his responsibilities as a hard-working member of society. You see, he has a job
which he takes very seriously.  That job is to patrol the boundaries
of his fenced in yard, and thereby the near environment, and keep it safe.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Safe from what, you may ask. Safe from any varmints that enter or
are in danger of entering his domain.  If they do, they are flirting
with death. This dog is known to have broken the backs of squirrels, rabbits,
rodents, and other unmentionables. He has often been seen attacking stinging
insects and birds, if he can get his mouth around them,<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">If the animal is too big for him to handle, he will intimidate it
with volleys of growls, snarls and barks, that go on for extended periods of
time.  Even when the marauder leaves, as they inevitably do, Barney
will continue to bark to let them know that he is there and
watching.  That list of larger varmints includes bears, vultures,
beavers and even deer, to mention a few.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">In one episode, he attacked a copperhead snake. He kept the
serpent from slithering away, which one might have thought was his purpose. But
no, he kept dashing in, leaving no chance for the snake to get away. Until,
finally, the snake succeeded in biting him on the lip. This all happened in the
middle of the night. That didn’t stop him. Not this undauntable
dog.  He kept trying to get to the snake. Eventually his mistress went
out to see what was going on. She did the only thing she could do. She chopped
the copperhead’s face off with a sharp shovel.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">After we got Barney in the house, we discovered the snake bite,
and whisked him off the the vet where he spent the night.  He was not
allowed in his yard for several days and was forbidden from going outside after
about 8:00 pm; probably for the rest of his life.  Not unreasonable,
since he is over 12 years old. And may not have the speed he used to have.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">There are some exceptions to his intolerance for other creatures
invading his territory. They would include song birds that frequent our bird
feeders and most of the squirrels that come to our porch to gather the missed
and dropped seeds of the birds.  But occasionally, he will surprise
one and chomp, goodbye squirrel.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Now that Barney is not permitted to spend the night barking
outside, he has devised a way to keep his property safe. He has a toy box
filled with various stuffed toys. All of them have qualities which if they were
alive, would do away with other creatures that don’t belong in Barney’s yard.
He takes them out of their box and stations them around the yard in various
places that need special protection. For example, he keeps a faux snake in the
exact spot where he encountered the copperhead.  He positions the
others in various strategic places. A group of them are placed in front of the
stairs that lead to the top of his porch. I think that’s pretty good, for a
dog’s brain.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Despite the fact that Barney is not allowed outside after a
certain hour, he still manages to keep our property safe by his ferocious
barks, growls and other noises he is capable of making whenever he senses other
animals prowling around in the night.  The dog is mainly awake at
night -- all night long.  in fact, He sleeps in the day, except for
occasionally policing the grounds. So, we are treated to his professional
noises he makes in carrying out a canine’s duties.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">As much as I enjoy those noises and admire him for his work ethic,
I also like my sleep. This is a situation which puts me in conflict. He knows
that these sounds annoy me and tries to control them. The poor dog tries to
control the barks by swallowing them. But 9 times out of 10, they eventually
get the better of him, and we are threatened with a night of interrupted sleep,
or no sleep at all.  So, I give him a chance to limit his vocal
displays, but when it becomes obvious that he cannot do so, I usually lock him
in a room in the back of the house. This room is downstairs of our bedroom and
his vociferations are far enough away for them barely to be noticed. He is
considerate enough to go to his room when he hears me coming downstairs. When I
arrive, usually between 1:00 and 2:00am, I merely have to close the door, and
he’s locked in for the night.  When my wife gets up at 5:00am, she
lets him out.  He is resolutely determined to go outside immediately,
to see if his intermittent nightly vocalizations have been successful in
keeping his territory safe from tigers and all manner of do-badders.  So
far, his record is pretty good. We have not seen a single tiger prowling around
our house in years. He comes inside after that and contentedly lies down to
finally get some sleep on the couch.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">I don’t know what we’ll do when he retires. Our home will be
invaded by creatures. As I have already pointed, he is 12 plus years old now.
That’s equivalent to about 90 years to human age. So, he’s getting pretty close
to that. His sister is that age and stiff with arthritis. She doesn’t patrol
anymore.  But when Barney does retire, he gets a gold watch, when he
learns to tell time.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="yiv4288324243msonormal" style="margin:0in;background:white;font-variant-ligatures: normal;font-variant-caps: normal;orphans: 2;text-align:start;widows: 2;-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;text-decoration-thickness: initial;text-decoration-style: initial;text-decoration-color: initial;word-spacing:0px"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><br data-mce-bogus="1"></div>