I don’t bark very often – unless someone I don’t know comes into my yard. Then I’m going to give that trespasser what for and let him know he doesn’t belong there.
Last night was one of those times. I heard someone out in the yard and I gave a warning bark. I don’t know much about time, but my person says it was around 4:00 in the morning. Well that warning bark didn’t work. Whoever it was out there didn’t leave – so I barked some more. And I barked again.
I guess I woke my person up because she came out to see what I was barking at. She opened the blinds to see who was out in the yard and said she didn’t see anything. That changed quickly. We both saw them at the same time. Not one, but two of them nonchalantly walking around the yard.
I got really excited and started jumping at the window blinds so my person raised them for me. She didn’t even yell at me when I got up on the back of the couch.
They had elliptical bodies, short stubby legs, and big snouts. My person says they’re called javelinas. They look kind of like pigs, but they’re not.
I finally barked enough to scare those javelinas away. My yard seemed to be popular though. Awhile later I had to get up and bark at a howling cat. I’m sure glad I don’t have to get up early like my person does. She’ll be okay though. She wasn’t the one doing all the work.
bongodogblog 
tbnranch
December 12, 2011 at 11:00 am
Ah yes… this is a familiar story!
Bongo
December 12, 2011 at 12:08 pm
Amy, I bet these guys come visiting your place a lot.
jaxart4animals
December 12, 2011 at 11:56 am
Wow! I’ve never heard of javelinas. Are they mean??
Bongo
December 12, 2011 at 12:12 pm
Jaxart4animals, javelinas can be mean to dogs and cats, but they usually don’t hurt people. My person took the picture of the javelina awhile back when there were about ten of them in our yard and they didn’t bother her. They can do a good job of digging up gardens though.
jaxart4animals
December 12, 2011 at 12:26 pm
Oh wow! I’m glad you weren’t outside at the time Bongo. I’d hate for you to get hurt by one of them.
Dianda
December 12, 2011 at 12:24 pm
You barked at such a cute thing? I never saw them before, but they look pretty cute, Bongo!
Bongo
December 12, 2011 at 12:33 pm
Dianda, they are kind of cute – but I’ll bark at anybody who comes in my yard.
Laurie Bartolo
December 12, 2011 at 12:48 pm
Wow, Bongo, I have heard of javelinas (and that they can be mean to dogs!) but I have never seen one before. They are kind of cute, but I think it’s a good idea to bark at them when you see them just so they know who is boss.
Bongo
December 12, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Laurie, I thought barking at them was a good idea too, but I don’t think they listened to me.
life is a bowl of kibble
December 12, 2011 at 1:15 pm
you are a good dog Bongo. Person is not too bad either. I mean, any one that would let you do your job with little or no instruction is awesome.
Bongo
December 12, 2011 at 1:51 pm
Kibble, I try to do my best to guard the house. My person says since I don’t cry wolf she doesn’t interfere too much.
2browndawgs
December 12, 2011 at 1:49 pm
We have never heard of those things. They look weird. Good thing you were on alert.
the 2 brown dawgs
lolapup
December 12, 2011 at 1:58 pm
We don’t have javelinas here, but there are plenty of other invaders to bark at. Keep up the good work!
Bongo
December 12, 2011 at 2:52 pm
Thanks Lola. I bet you’re pretty good at keeping those invaders out of your yard.
Genevieve
December 12, 2011 at 2:36 pm
Bongo, you are incredibly brave. That javelina is gross and looks deadly. I think I would’ve hidden under the covers till it went away. I admire your courage.
Love and licks,
Cupcake
Bongo
December 12, 2011 at 2:54 pm
Cupcake, thanks for stopping by and commenting. My person says sometimes I’m too brave for my own good, but I was pretty safe barking from the safety of my house.
Jan
December 12, 2011 at 3:33 pm
Humans would be so vulnerable without watchdogs to protect them. You are very brave.
Bongo
December 12, 2011 at 5:27 pm
Jan, thanks for stopping by and commenting. You’re so right. People need us to watch over them.
For the Love of My Dogs
December 12, 2011 at 4:19 pm
Great job, Bongo! We don’t have any javelinas here–they are really strange-looking!
Bongo
December 12, 2011 at 5:28 pm
Deannamelanie, javelinas are really strange looking animals. We don’t see them often because they mostly come out at night – but sometimes we see them rooting in someone’s garden during the day.
Nel
December 12, 2011 at 4:45 pm
I thought it was a possum. Thank you for this little lesson; I’ve never heard of javelinas.
And Bongo, your sensory system is fantastic! =) I don’t think I’d be able to hear anything outside my door when I’m fast asleep at dawn especially during winter.
Bongo
December 12, 2011 at 5:32 pm
Nel, most people haven’t heard of javelinas unless they live around them. My person said she never had until she moved here. And I have to tell you I cheat when it comes to hearing things in my yard. Our yard is full of cinders – little volcanic rocks with lots of air holes. They make crunchy sounds whenever someone walks on them so it’s easy to hear anyone.
Nel
December 13, 2011 at 5:57 am
That’s not “cheating” per se unless you intentionally placed the cinders there. 😉
Bongo
December 13, 2011 at 11:04 am
Nel, that would be a good idea to put cinders in the yard just so no one can sneak up – but I can’t take credit. They were already there when I came to live here.
barb19
December 12, 2011 at 5:24 pm
I’ve never heard of javelinas before either, so had to google it! They look like a kind of a pig – no wonder you barked at them – and then you spied a cat and had to bark and scare that away too!
You are such a great guard dog Bongo!
Bongo
December 12, 2011 at 5:33 pm
Barb, I do my best to take care of my people. Lots of people think javelinas are related to pigs and some people think they’re rodents, but they’re really in a class by themselves.
rumpydog
December 12, 2011 at 6:15 pm
Oh Dog! Those things look evil! Good thing you barked at ’em!
Bongo
December 12, 2011 at 6:37 pm
Rumpy, they’re so evil they wouldn’t even listen to me. My person says people with gardens really think they’re evil.
winsomebella
December 12, 2011 at 8:24 pm
Oh my. Those look far more creepy than the coyotes outside of Rosie’s house.
Bongo
December 12, 2011 at 10:35 pm
Winsomebella, the javelinas look creepier, but my person says the coyotes are far more dangerous. We have those here too, but most of the time we just hear them.
whatimeant2say
December 12, 2011 at 8:38 pm
I bet your person really appreciated all of the barking, Bongo. Because I’m sure the javelinas would never have turned around and left on their own.
Bongo
December 12, 2011 at 10:36 pm
Wonderbutt’s person, you’re right. I’m sure those javelinas would still be in our yard if I hadn’t barked at them.
Jen
December 12, 2011 at 9:06 pm
Wow! I have never heard of such a creature!! They are a bit scary looking! Good job at barking at them!!
Bongo
December 12, 2011 at 10:38 pm
Jen, my person says the scariest thing about javelinas is what they can do to gardens, but they have been known to hurt cats and dogs too.
Andrea Thomson Viner @ Iowa Dog Blog
December 12, 2011 at 9:58 pm
Whoa! You certainly had reason to bark! Did your person take that picture?
Bongo
December 12, 2011 at 10:39 pm
Andrea, my person took that picture a long time ago when she had about ten of them in her yard. She says it didn’t even bother them when she went outside near them.
thesweetkitten
December 13, 2011 at 12:20 am
What a brave dog you are!
Bongo
December 13, 2011 at 12:37 am
Thanks Sweet Kitten. I guess it’s my job to protect my people.
angelswhisper2011
December 13, 2011 at 1:08 am
Well, you did a great job, Bongo! I’m happy we’re living in the Netherlands, the only scary thing we find in our garden is our hedgehog;-)
Bongo
December 13, 2011 at 10:57 am
Angelswhisper, I bet a hedgehog would be a fun playmate. My person says they’re very cute but she’s only seen them in pictures.
bonesdiary
December 13, 2011 at 2:25 am
Its a good job they aren’t dogs because man – they are UGLY! They want to be mean to dogs? I’ll invite them into my yard, see who is meanest. Don’t reckon they live around here though – good job!
Bongo
December 13, 2011 at 11:00 am
Bones, I bet your bark would really scare them away.
Kyuni
December 13, 2011 at 4:13 am
Excellent job Bongo…(virtual pats for a brave pet like you)…Thanks for posting this because we haven’t heard about javelinas being mean to cats or dogs… If a hairy pig-looking thing like that ever set foot on our garden, it would probably be bleeding by morning because Cassie and the gals are in combat mode when there’s an intruder in our place…
Bongo
December 13, 2011 at 11:02 am
Thanks Kyuni. I’ll warn those javelinas to stay out of your garden.
eripanwkevin
December 13, 2011 at 6:17 am
Oh Bongo, are you okay? Are those javelinas not dangerous? They look so cute but some of them are agressive, aren’t they? I’m glad that you could get them away by barking or they might have done something wrong….your yard must be very comfortable for animals because many of them come to visit there!!! 🙂
Bongo
December 13, 2011 at 11:08 am
Kevin, I think those javelinas would have been in trouble if my person just would have let me get at them – but she made me stay in the house. My trails and the forest are very close, but there are lots of houses here too so I get all kinds of visitors in my yard.
midnitechef
December 13, 2011 at 9:47 am
Just found you on notacrazycatlady’s blog 🙂 We also have a dog, her name is Pepper. She hasn’t met a Javelina yet!
Bongo
December 13, 2011 at 11:10 am
Midnitechef, nice to meet you – and Pepper. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I’ll send my person over to check out your blog too – and tell Pepper she’s better off not meeting one of those javelina things.
Bassas Blog
December 13, 2011 at 10:01 am
That’s amazing Bongo! I only get cat visitors in my yard 🙂
Bongo
December 13, 2011 at 11:12 am
Bassa, the cats are much easier to chase away. I usually just have to look at them funny and they’re gone.
Uptown Dog
December 13, 2011 at 2:33 pm
Woah! I have never seen anything like that! We have lots of rats, but javelinas look much worse.
Bongo
December 13, 2011 at 4:17 pm
Uptown Dog, javelinas are much bigger than rats.
Lindy MacDuff
December 13, 2011 at 8:01 pm
Have you ever had a good snort of the javelina scent, Bongo? They smell like skunks… P-U! On second thought, maybe dogs would like that stinky odor…. 😉
Bongo
December 13, 2011 at 9:20 pm
Lindy, I think I would like smelling javelina, but my person wouldn’t let me get near them.
Katyoparty
December 13, 2011 at 8:27 pm
I smell bacon! har har
Bongo
December 13, 2011 at 9:21 pm
Katyoparty, great idea! Maybe I can lure those javelinas back here.
Sunshine
December 15, 2011 at 8:13 pm
Sorry Bongo, them things are UGLY.
Bongo
December 15, 2011 at 9:51 pm
Sunshine, that’s why I wanted them to leave my yard.
b0ng0
December 16, 2011 at 11:01 am
Good job, Bongo – they must know, they ar not welcome without an invitation for a garden party.
Bongo
December 16, 2011 at 2:53 pm
B0ng0, not very many people or dogs invite javelina to their garden parties. You’d think they’d get the hint.
Chancy, Mumsy and Crew
December 16, 2011 at 11:22 am
Good job sweet Bongo. You sure had some strange introoders. Hugs and nose kisses
Bongo
December 16, 2011 at 2:56 pm
Chancy and Mumsy, strange intruders is right. I just wish they’d listen better. They took their time getting out of my yard.
jimmie chew
January 3, 2012 at 9:03 am
wow I never saw one of those before, my mom would try to feed it (I’m sure) but I’m sure that would not be a good plan.
Bongo
January 3, 2012 at 11:22 am
Jimmie Chew, those javelina are usually pretty good at feeding themselves – from everyone’s gardens.