[Dailydrool] My Basset Security System doesn't work

[Vanis, Nancy]

When I first got my Basset Security System I had 3 Bassets installed in
my home.  I hoped by having three of them that any intruders might find
at least one of dogs awake (or semi-conscious) so they would raise the
alarm.  If nothing else, I figured one would wake up and start barking
at the stranger for a treat or try to get them to break into the refrig.
To my dismay, I found out one day (when I accidentally locked myself out
of the house) that an entire group of clog dancers could be out
practicing on my deck and the boys would manage to sleep through it.  So
when the chance came to upgrade the system to include a younger basset,
I figured it could only help.  Wrong again. 
Wednesday morning, bright and early, I go into the kitchen for a refill
of coffee.  I hear a quiet quack.  We have a pair of Mallard ducks that
visit our small pond almost daily, so I look out the window.  No ducks.
I hear Beau (my 6.5 year old) grumping in the family room.  Nothing
unusual in that - he normally spends his mornings on the couch and
grumping quietly to himself about how few treats are handed out or some
other injustice he has encountered.  Again, I hear a quiet quack.  The
ducks do occasionally come up on the deck so I turned to go look out the
sliding glass door that overlooks the deck.  Much to my surprise I am
looking right at the female duck that is standing INSIDE my family room.
Guess she had been watching the boys go in and out of the dog door and
she thought she would give it a try.  Even more to my surprise all four
of the security system team are in the family room.  Three are sound
asleep (the youngest snoring the loudest) and Beau is grumping.  
I look at the duck (who is looking back at me), then I look at Beau (who
is also looking at me from the couch).  Beau has a look on his face of
"aren't you going to do anything about that?".  After a minute of all
three of us staring at each other, I start towards the door to get the
duck to go back outside.  Of course the duck stands up tall, stretches
her wings out, quacks REALLY loud and luckily makes an exit stage right
and out the dog door (I felt like I was watching an AFLAC commercial).
The other 3 boys wake up just in time to see her feathered tail end
disappear through the flap.  Only then do I see any action.  All four
are up and tearing over to the dog door.  I guess they decide to keep
the intruder out by plugging up the dog door entrance because all four
try to squeeze through the dog door at once.  I took my coffee back into
the other room and left them to their watch duty - all crammed in the
dog door with Beau still grumping.  I feel much safer now.