The Hungarian Kuvasz is historically a lifestock guardian dog, but this watchful eye is by no means limited to livestock. For our one year old Kuvasz, Chloe, life in suburbia involves keeping watch over our yard as well as the three neighboring yards adjacent to our property. Truthfully, she probably knows our neighbours better than we do: what they drive, who their friends are, and what hours they work. But Chloe's main wards are myself, my husband, and her best friend- a Vizsla named Jassz.
Were Chloe living the life she had been bred for (guarding lifestock), she would probably spend the night sleeping in the barn with the sheep or other livestock. Since we are her flock, however, she sleeps inside with us. She roams a bit during the night, but usually she can be found sleeping at either the front or back doors, or at the foot of the bed. All strategic locations for a dog whose main instinct is to protect.
Recently, Chloe battled at life-threatening infection in her lymph nodes. The disease lasted several weeks, during which time she lost 8 lbs, and was so lethargic she could barely lift her head to greet me when I came home. But Chloe, in true kuvasz form, showed us that proctecting the family always comes first, despite her infirmity.
At about 4AM one morning, Chloe woke me by nudging my hand several times. Although Chloe's nocturnal roamings to and from the bedroom do sometimes wake us (either by her bumping the bed, or the floor squeaking), she never deliberately wakes us. Nudging my hand was very unusual, but in true 4 AM alertness, I simply patted her head and began to drift back to sleep. That was when I noticed the smell. It smelled like burning chemicals. Burning. The thought was enough to rouse me fully awake. Something was burning! The adrenalin kicked in at this point, and I raced through the house to determine the source. It didn't take long to find the smoldering dishwasher. A malfunctioning timer had failed to advance past the preheating stage, thus the water never began cycling. The heater had been on for approximately 9 hours, and I estimate the temperature in the dishwasher was over 300F. Wine glasses had popped, and 'dishwasher safe' plastic was melting all over the heating element. That was the source of the chemical smell. And boy did it smell! The stench was quickly dissipated with a few open windows, and the dishwasher damage was repaired the next day. What could have turned into a very costly, or even tragic, incident had been avoided, thanks to Chloe. Even sickly, she guards over us.
And I for one sleep much better knowing she does.
Natalie Sharp