Two weeks ago, I was playing outside with my person at our house when something very unusual happened. Two enormous white animals with people sitting on their backs appeared in my driveway. I was terrified because I had never seen anything like that in my life. I now understand that those animals were horses and that horses are very common in Middleburg. At the time, however, I thought monsters were invading my territory and that my family was in grave danger.

I weigh about 15 pounds and am no match for one giant monster, much less two, but duty called. I took off at the speed of light, running the long distance towards the danger instead of away from it. I barked and barked, signaling that those rascals had picked the wrong doorstep to darken. I was not going down without a fight! As I got closer, I lost a little nerve, but I still stood within a few feet of the huge beasts and gave them a piece of my mind.

When my person got to me, I was barking furiously but trembling even more furiously. It was the scariest day of my life. Fortunately, the horses were very well-behaved and their riders were very understanding and patient. My person scooped me up, reassured me, apologized to the visitors and returned me to safety. She also told me later that she was incredibly proud of me, not because I ran into danger – that was not good. She was proud of me for something she called courage. She said she could not imagine how such a little dog could have been so brave in the face of something that must have been very frightening.

I explained to her that I didn't do anything many other dogs wouldn't have done. Dogs are all about courage. We're all about loyalty, defending our people, looking out for danger and protecting our homes. That's how we got the title of Man's Best Friend. Most of us have a deep understanding of our environment. We know when the weather is changing long before our people do. We hear and smell things long before our people do. We have gifts people cannot imagine. In return, we ask only for food, water, shelter and kindness.

There are so many rules and expectations that people put on us. They get exasperated because we don't always immediately understand how to live in their world. We have to learn to be housebroken. We have to learn that there is a big difference between a fleece sweatshirt and a fleece dog toy. We have to learn to greet people quietly, chew only those items that belong to us, bark only when appropriate, and not beg for food that isn't ours. We have to go against our natural inclinations so that we can please our caregivers.

If our people will just listen, however, we have a lot to teach them too. Two weeks ago, I reminded my person to be courageous. I made her think about the fact that family and home are everything. Some people might dismiss my actions as instinct, but I assure you they were more than that. They were based on unconditional love and an all-consuming desire to protect my family.

It's easy to focus on the things we do that are frustrating, but please remember to also focus on the things that make us amazing. Watch carefully because you never know when we just might remind you of what's most important in life.