One of the many rituals the heelers have established around our home is their mad frantic, barking attack whenever we head around the house into the back yard.

They've surprised cats back there maybe, twice? Three times? And squirrels maybe a dozen times. So hope springs eternal, and each and every trip to the back yard gate is treated as a pack attack.

We have been picking windfallen sloe from the trees in the garden almost every day for a couple weeks now. Most often by flashlight (and the masked heeler's headlamp), due to my working hours. And each and every trip was a loud, barking excursion.

Not so cool for the neighbors at ten or eleven at night. So I have been trying to explain to the sisters that they will never surprise anything if they don't stay quiet until we're actually in the back yard.

I thought I was getting through to them, since the masked one was holding her barks until I got to the gate, and her maskless sister was at least waiting until we got to the lilac.

But today, since we were actually home during the day, when I asked if they wanted to check the backyard, it was immediate hectic barking and yipping, all the way around the house.

They were both standing by the gate, impatiently, before I even reached the lilac. And I swear, knowing canid faces and expression points as I do, this is exactly what they were thinking:

"You know, this would work if you would only move a little faster..."