Cats

OK, I want to say right up front that I have nothing against cats. We don't own cats but it is for their own safety because we have a yard full of dogs.

Today when I called home Jilda answered on the cordless phone because the chickens were raising a ruckus and she was headed out top investigate. I then heard he exclaim "get out of here - get away from those chickens!" When I asked what was going on she said a big yellow cat was trying to sneak up on the hens. I guess the feline thought they were big honkin' doves but that's not allowed in our yard so Jilda opened the door and sic'ed Ol' Buddy on the cat. She did this knowing that there was absolutely no way that Buddy could actually catch the cat but she felt it would send the right message and seemed to be a fitting response to the intrusion. Ol' Buddy sprang into action but was unable to get the proper traction on the wooden floors of the living room and when he finally got traction he careened off a post on the front porch and was all over the unsuspecting cat. I a fluid motion, the cat was up a tree and Buddy slammed into the trunk. When he gained his composure, he barked until he got hoarse.
Had this occurred before the back fence, it could have gotten nasty for the cat as the big dogs don't play. They have not yet bought in to the "live and let live" camp, in fact they are more closely aligned with the faction that believes the only good cat is a dead cat and that is one reason they are kept inside the fence.
When I got home this evening, Ol' Buddy was lying in front of the living room window with his head on the seal keeping his best eye out for chicken slayer. I bet he'd love to have a pair of tennis shoes for Christmas so that he could hone a few seconds off his response time.