Me, working next to the slider to our screened porch. Charlie, on the porch, begins barking wildly.

Charlie honestly. Fine, you can go get the squirrels.

I attach the lead to her collar and move to open the door and realize it wasn’t the squirrels she was barking at, it was a young deer standing in our neighbor’s yard!

I debate for a moment the potential consequences of letting her out and decide that she can only go the 30 feet of her lead and the deer isn’t going to run toward her, so it should be safe.

I’m ready for some grade-A entertainment but the deer is still as a statue.

And my dog ignores it entirely.

I watch as Charlie trots around our yard, taking care of business, now apparently unfazed by what had previously sent her into a MURDER ALERT state of barking. I take a few steps out of the door and the deer watches. I wave and say hi. I keep waiting for Charlie to notice, knowing as soon as the deer runs, Charlie will be off like a shot and I hope she doesn’t run herself into the end of her lead.

The deer makes a few small movements, facing the woods a little more now, getting ready and looking between me and Charlie. I hold my breath as the deer starts … eating the neighbor’s garden.

I say, “Well, now, I didn’t mean for you to feel THAT safe!”

In another moment, the deer takes off, and Charlie trots back up to the porch, never having spared the deer a second glance and completely oblivious to my delight at greeting our morning visitor.