What Boris does with his day is a total mystery to us. Mostly I think he sleeps (wouldn't you?) but sometimes I think he guards because it makes him feel . . .important and it's part of his DNA to do so.

When Boris hears a dog coming down the street - and he hears this long before we do - he'll stop what he's doing (except when he's eating. Boris likes to eat.) to jump on the sofa and let the unsuspecting dog and dog walker know who's territory they're in. The funny thing is, the smaller the dog, the more he has to let them know he's watching. Maybe it's because the little dogs tend to have more jingling things on them; I think their owners believe jingling things enhance their cuteness. Whatever the reason, little dogs bug Boris.

Boris can get pretty rowdy guarding his turf and we usually correct him. I've seen dog-walkers stop in their tracks until they realize the crazed barking is coming from the second story of a building and they're safe from an attack. One day, during a particularly vocal barking session, I heard a voice from below shout, "Boris, no!" I looked down and saw a kid we see often walking his mixed breed spaniel type dog; apparently he hears me yelling at Boris and feels comfortable giving him a correction! Boris paid him no mind, he kept right on barking.

Lesson learned: Even though Boris' barking can be so annoying not mention embarrassing, it's who he is. After all, he believes it's his job to protect Kola and me. So how could we be angry with that. After all, we haven't had a break in yet!