I  never thought I’d have the opportunity to say it, but our dog, Sophie, is kind of a hero.

I recently got a telephone call from my husband while I was working late — it seemed someone had broken into our house just after dark. He was on base at the gym when he got a call from a house guest we had at the time. Her infant son had a cold and kept her up a good bit of the previous night, so she was taking a nap in the guest room upstairs while her son also napped.

Sophie, who was in her kennel downstairs, started barking furiously. Her barking woke the baby, whose crying woke our guest. According to our house guest, Sophie’s barking sounded different, and she became alarmed.

When she got downstairs, one of the windows was open, the screen was gone and one of our cats was sitting in the window curiously looking out.

When she let Sophie out of her kennel, she immediately headed to the French doors in the family room that lead out to the back yard. They were unlocked, which was not how our guest had left them.

Sure enough, her camera, iPod and wallet were missing. The television in the family room had been disconnected, but the thieves were interrupted before they could get it.

Thank goodness for our daffy pooch! If not for her barking (our cats are plentiful, but not very noisy), the baby wouldn’t have awoken and his mom wouldn’t have ventured downstairs to see what was the matter. In my book, that qualifies as a heroic deed, or pretty close to one.

At this time of year when we pause to count our blessings, I’m very thankful everyone was safe and the things taken can be replaced fairly easily. I’m also thankful for that little canine. Her barking will probably take on a much sweeter note from now on.

For the cowards who broke in — I hope they try it again, because their entry will not be easy and because Sophie’s teeth are very, very sharp.

-Kathy Reed, editor