Intervention can sometimes come from the most unexpected quarters.
My wife, myself, and about half a dozen friends had gathered for an evening of fellowship and revelry. After the festivities had ended, my wife, myself, and two of her friends walked to our house. One of my wife's friends, Matilda, had a husband who was reputed to be abusive to her.
I was substantially intoxicated, so I went straight to bed when we arrived home. The women sat in the living room chatting.
As I lay half awake, I heard shouting from down the hallway in the living room. Matilda's husband had entered our house and was reprimanding her using a threatening tone. As drunk as I was, I knew I needed to get myself out of bed and into the living room to straighten things out before the situation turned violent.
Before I could get up, I heard other noises. It was my German Shepard barking. Usually, she had a mellow disposition, but she sounded agitated. Her bark was sharp and threatening. I could hear snarls.
Then, as abruptly as it had started, the barking ceased. I got up and walked down the hallway to the living room. Matilda's husband was gone, and all three women were still there. The dog was lying calmly on the carpet. In the face of the threatening dog, Matilda's husband had fled.
I hate to think what might have happened to Matilda later when she went home, but for now, the dog had intervened, preventing a violent escalation.
One never knows where intervention might come from.
{This is not the only time my German Shepard acted heroically. I described the other incidents in this story.}
