Clover began barking aggressively around eight this morning.

She rarely barks, and when she does, it’s not an aggressive bark.

The cause: a visitor — a sweet huskie named Phoenix with a calm demeanor and a tag with a phone number and an email address.

The owner was out of town; someone was supposed to be stopping by to feed Phoenix.

We kept him in our backyard until early afternoon.

Clover was not at all happy about it at first. She was terrified for a good half hour. We kept them apart with leashes during that time, then decided it might be a good idea to take them for a walk together. By the time we got back home, Clover was no longer scared. Indeed — she just wanted to play herding with Phoenix, who was not too eager to take the role of a sheep.