Hurricane Typhoon

What other dog would insist on going outside in the middle of the night during a tropical storm? None other than Hurricane Typhoon himself.

A story about me?

A story about me?

Bam. Bam. Bam.

Rattled from a deep slumber, Hu-Dad peeled his eyes open. Met only with darkness, he assumed a dream shook him awake. He rolled over on his side.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

Not a dream. A nightmare. Something–or someone–was banging on the sliding glass door just feet from the bed.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

He picked up his cell. The glare hammered his eyes and the clock read 3:23. What insane creature was beating on the door in the middle of the night?

Bam. Bam. Bam.

With a frantic search of the bedside table, he found his glasses and pulled his feet from under the covers. He stumbled across the floor, flipped on the porch light, and came face to face with the demon.

Hurricane Typhoon.

Hurricane Typhoon

Hurricane Typhoon

His Haughtiness Little Prince Typhoon Phooey likes to go outside and explore his yard in the middle of the night. Specifically, he likes to see if any rabbits are there. To indicate his desire, he walks around the bedroom.

Click. Click. Click.

After years of scientific research (aka, living with wonder mutt), Hu-Dad has determined that almost no sound can penetrate a sleeping human mind as effectively as the click, click, click of claws. Except for the horka sounds of a dog getting ready to clear his stomach of some offending material. That sound is miraculous in its ability to wake humans.

Click. Click. Click.

And so Typhoon walks around the bedroom. And then stands at the side of the bed and sighs. If no reaction is received, he repeats. Over and over and over and over until a human surrenders, gets out of bed, and lets him outside.

Click. Click. Click.

The humans take turns getting up to let him out. Wednesday night was not the Hu-Dad’s night. So he slept. And the Little Prince was released into the yard. The fact that a little storm known as Michael was dropping rain and blowing wind was irrelevant to His Haughtiness.

I might be a little spoiled.

I might be a little spoiled.

With the loss of our senior contingent, the gate between the senior and junior yard stands open. Miss Kiska did not care for the bounciness of her younger counterparts, but now they are free to explore both sides of the yard. The junior deck sits off the kitchen on the opposite side of the house from the sleeping Hu-Dad. The senior deck, however, is attached to the bedroom. So a Little Prince can exit on the junior side, explore the entire yard, and then appear on the senior deck. In his little fuzzy mind, there is no need to go back to the kitchen to re-enter the house. After all, if one human let’s him out, shouldn’t the other human let him in?

Bam. Bam. Bam.

And so he knocks. And so the Hu-Dad climbs out of bed. And opens the door to the deck. The wind howls. The rain blows. And Typhoon sits and waits.

Minor detail. Typhoon used to refuse to come inside. So the humans began giving him a treat to come inside. And, now, of course, Typhoon expects a treat before entering a house. And the senior treat bowl no longer sits on the table beside the bedroom. So Hu-Dad, desperate for sleep, stumbles through the house (and wakes the other human who has collapsed on the couch waiting on the Return of Royalty through the door he exited), retrieves a treat, returns to the bedroom. Upon opening the door and offering the treat, Hu-Dad is glad to see the Little Prince enter the bedroom.

Don't you love a story where the dog is the hero?

Don’t you love a story where the dog is the hero?

Hu-Dad was glad until a dripping wet dog, with a coat full of Hurricane Michael rain, jumps up on the bed, pauses, looks at the Hu-Dad, and then shakes for all he is worth.

Hu-Dad, desperate for sleep, crawls back into the now wet bed. He pulls the blanket over his head. He is drifting off to sleep.

And the phone screams. The National Weather Service, at 3:55 a.m., decided to include our county in the Tropical Storm Warning. They kindly wanted us to know.

Nothing like a good bedtime story.

Nothing like a good bedtime story.

Hu-Dad peels himself off the ceiling. Lies in bed begging sleep to return. But it’s too late. He picks up a book. And with the soft snoring of dogs in the background, including one satisfied Little Prince, he reads until dawn.

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13 Comments

  1. Susan on October 13, 2018 at 1:48 am

    Oh Sabo! “Doguments”! Krystal the Scheagle and I laughed ourselves silly over your comment.

  2. chris on October 12, 2018 at 8:52 pm

    I am sorry if I am being nosy but I have often wondered why the other human does not get included in the posts. I know some other human is walking the dogs because you could see three and three being walked. Does the other human just not want to be included in the great humor the dogs provide? Every once in awhile you mention another human in a post so it just makes me curious. Like I said, if I am being too nosy, you do not have to answer.

    • The Thundering Herd on October 14, 2018 at 7:10 am

      Many years ago, we were out hiking and just walked into a parking lot on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Two people drove by, stopped, and the driver shouted, “Hey, we remember you.” A pause for a second before he added, “Well, not you, but the dogs.”

      As humbling as that might have been for our humans, we thought it summed up our philosophy of our website. We are focused on the important part of the story – we canines – and not our human foils.

  3. Lori on October 12, 2018 at 12:28 pm

    Thank goodness the rest of the herd didn’t wake up and decide it was breakfast time!!

  4. Nicole Tester on October 12, 2018 at 12:09 pm

    hhheheee. I am so sorry the royal prince was such a pain last night. And Yes the “Click Click Click” is almost the worst sound but this one ” the horka sounds of a dog getting ready to clear his stomach of some offending material…..” is the Worst!

  5. Dawn on October 12, 2018 at 11:32 am

    This might be the best story to date. Oh, the click click click. How I hate the click click click. My anxiety levels jacked up just reading it!!

  6. Juno's mom on October 12, 2018 at 10:36 am

    Typhoon antics never disappoint we readers. I know well, the sacrifices we make for our critter family. How dull life might be without them. (Although, I’ve never gotten a mini shower in bed.) Wishing you both a nice nap today.

  7. Dana Long on October 12, 2018 at 10:06 am

    Oh what a GREAT story and good laugh for a rough Friday morning in Chesterfield, VA! Thanks so much Hu-Dad! I’m sorry for your…adventures last night, but thanks for treating us to a great big belly laugh today!

  8. Julie on October 12, 2018 at 9:05 am

    Haha! I made the opposite error. I have a princess that won’t go OUTSIDE without a treat. She will pretend she needs a potty run in the middle of the night thinking she should get a treat to go out. ???? Huskies should come with operating manuals.

  9. Terry (+Rory) on October 12, 2018 at 7:48 am

    So funny ????!!!
    Good thing we have such UNCONDITIONAL LOVE!!!????

  10. Sharon Sammons on October 12, 2018 at 7:42 am

    Add another sound to that, a Sibe that is standing at the side of the bed panting like a billows. My boy, Bear, does that to me, reason unknown. I think he does it just to see if I will wake up and pet him, refill the water bowl that is only 3/4 inch low or just for his grins.

  11. Zoe on October 12, 2018 at 6:44 am

    Sabo the German Shepherd, Attorney at Paw

    For the defendant Typhoon

    Attorney at Paw begins reading the list of items necessary to be a Hu-dad
    Hmmm “page flip”. Hmmmm “scribbles notes”.
    Places document on the table

    Hu-dad one of the important parts of being the human in the human/canine equation is that you are available for all emergency situations. While you mentioned the woka sound before we relieve our stomach of some undigested item, there is also the midnight belly rub, ear scritches, and the occasional evacuation of the bowels in an emergency manner. Knowing that there was a storm coming Typhoon was merely testing the emergency response of the HU-mans in his home to ensure the pack was safe in all situations. Much like the emergency alarm that went off on your phone just after his test was completed (you didn’t think that was a coincidence did you?).
    In any event past the exceptional emergency testing system that Typhoon exhibited, I have reviewed all pertinent doguments and have found that you, like all other humans, have waived the right to a total night sleep under the terms and conditions of ownership.
    Typhoon would like to point out he is not in need of a treat to come inside but a reward for a job well done.

    Respectfully Submitted
    Sabo the German Shepherd Attorney at Paw

  12. Jean B Burkhardt on October 12, 2018 at 5:52 am

    Hu-Dad-I am so sorry BUT I was laughing SO hard through this entire story(and I KNOW you lost sleep) but Typhoon Phooey IS the clown prince or shall we say just a Prince???? The stories of him and the entire herd always make my day.

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