Squeaky Piggy

I love my little dog, but she has a bad habit I've had a hard time breaking: She barks at other dogs when they're outside. By way of explanation, I should say that she doesn't usually see the dogs. My neighborhood has fenced back yards, at least at most houses, and when Mazie is playing out back she can sometimes hear the jingling of other dogs' collars. Occasionally the other dogs will jump on the fence and get things started. I don't care who is the initiator; the barking annoys me. Because she is a little gal, her bark is sort of shrill. Outside is bad enough, but when it echoes in the house, I want to strangle her.

When I try to shut her up by calling her inside, mostly she ignores me. Enter Pink Pig, below.

I have discovered that if I push, pedal-like, on Pink Pig, hard enough to elicit a squeak, Mazie comes running from wherever she is. We got Pink Pig last weekend when we were shopping for kitten supplies. Oddly, Mazie doesn't really want to play with it, but she seems extremely concerned for its welfare. That's the only reason I can determine for why she flies inside when she hears the squeak. She must think I'm killing it. It's only been a few days since I figured out the magical properties of Pink Pig, and they may not last forever. But for right now I am, and I'm sure my neighbors are, grateful for its powers.