Last night I was sound asleep when around 1 a.m. our 6 mos old Golden Retriever started growling and barking on the front porch.  I wake up when he barks and listen to determine if I need to get up - this time I just listened and he barked a little then started to growl off and on.  
So I slid out of bed, picked up my pistola and maglite and made my way quietly to the door.  When I stepped outside he stopped growling but kept focusing on the end of the porch.  I shined the flashlight out there but saw nothing and switched it off.  He remained alert though.
It was real quiet - the middle of the night wind only thing you hear quiet.  Then I heard it.  A crunch in the pinestraw at the end of the porch/corner of the house.  Or was it a rustle?  Yeah thats right.  A rustle.  And another as if something was headed our way.  Dog is growling again so I move off the porch to slice the pie on the corner and light up the spot, pistol at the ready, finger off trigger.   And.....nothing.  I got nothing.  

The dog runs down there growling and huffing so I move on around to keep him out of my line of sight just in case, you know.  Still.....I got nothing.  As I am scanning the side yard I notice he is focused on something on the ground and front legs out, butt in the air nipping and biting at whatever is on the ground.  I move in ready for, uh, I don't know, something and then I spied it.

It was a large.................orange and black.......................................butterfly.  Yes,  a butterfly.  Apparently he was roosting, sitting, whatever butterflys do in the Buddleia, or Butterfly Bush, and fell out.  I think it was doing the death twitch and actually making a loud enough rustling to sound like a critter walking in the pinestraw.  
So we, the dog and I, not the dying insect, took a brief stroll around the yard on such a nice night.  Then I retired to my bed, mission accomplished.  The dog ate the butterfly to remove all evidence of it obviously to avoid the embarrasment of the matter.
Alls well that ends well they say.  He's a good watchdog.  I told him so.

Heheheheh, good dawg....

It was just a dry run for when something might actually be wrong,

Watch out for those NINJA Butterflies!

SMSP

glad you made it.

That's awesome

May I ask what is your invasive butterfly response caliber of choice?

This time it was a .357 with 145 gr Silvertips.  It was the grab and go gun.

Fortunately I had Godzilla the Golden Retriever to take care of her before she could pull a Mothra and spin a silken web of disaster.  An ironic twist on the sci-fi movie plots.

Based on the  problems the Japan Self Defense Force had with those giant critters, I think another super sci-fi fantasy critter is a must for handling such threats.  

Godzilla the Golden Retriever is only 6 mos old and 50+ lbs of feet and teeth.  He has been destroyer of worlds around here and is allegedly responsible for the multilation of porch furniture, the ravaging of lower limbs on trees, excavation of punji pits around the property (no punji stakes yet - heaven help us if he develops an opposable thumb) and the repeated raping of hammock pillows and patio seat cushions ( he sweeps in like teh Huns and has his way with them - they're easy and don't fight back).   He did fight off the dreaded lepidoptera that night though so he has bought himself a reprieve from the wrath of the wife unit.  He's her baby anyway.  He gets away with more than I can.

Good partner you got there.

Sometimes my dogs will hear the yotes late at night and do the same. The GF thinks Im crazy when I get out of bed to check it out.

We have been hearing them a lot around here lately.  About two weeks ago, I was asleep in my recliner and woke up  to the whining, yipping and callling of some coyotes back along the ridge.    I immediately went to check on the pup since I had just dozed off in the chair after a movie and didn't know what was up.  He was alert and listening - but he was fine.

I put him in the garage though.  Gonna have to thin those yotes out around here.

If your in the western part of NC, there has been some skunk ape activity round there.
There sneaky critters, It might have thrown that butterfly down to distract you while it made its escape.

My wife is happy to have a husband who will go out in his boxers, gun and light in hand to investigate "happenings"
If I had a dollar for everytime...

Ha Ha Been there done that too!  There's a skunk ape  a ways south of here called Knobby.  Saw a lady in that area with a shirt on once that said "Thats alright. Knobby don't believe in you either!"    

Good dog!  Keep the ATF away from him!

A dying butterfly ?     I think that was a calling card left for you to find.   Something is stalking you and your guard dog.











JK

Funny how the dark makes everything sound bigger.

LB

My Dobie woke me up one night at 2AM barking at a rock on the other side the fence.  He's been gone many years now, but I still miss him and always will.  

This reminds me of the time me and my GF spent the first night in our old place... There had be lots of bear sightings in that area, oddly enough, one of my ex girlfriends lived down the road, and I remember story's she would tell, and actually finding prints, around her house.. Anyway, once we got settled in for the night, I start to hear a noise coming from out back, near were the trash cans were.. I assumed it was just racoon's, until the "bear" scraped against the window screen.. The GF rolled over and said "did you here that" I told her it was just the wind, go back to sleep.. Then it happened again, sounded like the damn thing was trying to break in through the screen.. The window was to high off the ground for anything small  .So I got up, grabbed a rifle, and a light, and went out back... Stood their for a minute, debated on the best course of action.. Then I hear the old lady scream... At the point it was like fuck it, I'm going kill this thing and deal with the "legal" aspect In the Am... snuck around back.. shined the light.... Nothing..... I looked all over, no prints looked like a raccoon had gotten in the garbage.. Then I herd the noise on the screen again... Large June bug had gotten stuck in the screen and every time it would try to fly away its made this noise that sounded like a 2 dollar hooker working for a 100 dollar bill...  Me and her still joke about this today,its our little inside joke. Every time something goes bump in the night, we both look at each other and get that look and say "Bear!!"... and of course usually ends up with us talking about the past, and envisioning the younger versions of each other and that always leads to relations ... As a matter of fact, would one of you mind coming by and making a little noise out back, were in a bit of dry spell...

Tonite I was sitting out in the balmy low pressure weather ahead of this rain and tornado watch business listening to the various insect sounds.  Gonna look up some insect sounds as well to see just what I am hearing.  Kept hearing one of the neighbors cows bellowing.  Not much else happening.  I think the wildlife was hunkered down in anticipation of this storm.