Courtney wrote recently about all the different types of jobs that dogs can have. It got me thinking about my dogs, and the work they do for me. Moose is Chief Executive in Charge of Cuddling and Lally is my Morale Officer with her squeaky ball antics. The dog I had before I adopted Moose and Lally was the one who had a real job.
Miko was my security guard. When I got my first full-time radio job and moved to Vermont, there was no question that he was moving with me. One of my tasks at the new job was doing news and weather during the simulcasted morning show. What that means is that I was the only person in the studio at five o’clock in the morning, supplementing the syndicated morning show with local news, weather, and other info.
The radio station was located in a business park… and there was lots of traffic through there at all hours. To be completely honest, it made me a little nervous.
I asked my bosses if I could bring Miko in with me during the morning show — partly to help him through the adjustment to his new home and partly to make me feel safe. They gave me the okay.
Within a few months, I had attracted a sort-of stalker. He was a truck driver, and would show up at the studio whenever his route took him through town — with flowers or lunch for me or some other little gift. He would call the request line on a daily basis. It was kind of sweet, at first. But when he started repeating my license place number to me on the phone or swearing that I was his guardian angel, I got scared.
It got bad enough that I was jumping at the sight of a truck in the parking lot at five A.M. Having Miko at my side made me feel safer — at least I wasn’t alone. I don’t know if Miko would have jumped to my defense, but he was a big, wolf-looking dog. It might have made someone think twice before approaching me.
Eventually, my stalker stopped coming by and calling. My furry security guard was welcome at the studio anyway… until we got a new manager who decided it wasn’t professional to have a dog at the station. After that, Miko got to sleep in while I went to work. A fitting reward for his protection for all those months!