How to worry an Australian shepherd

Maria brought home a wicker settee she had bought for our front porch last night and I unloaded it from the Subaru this morning and put it on the porch, in front of one of the dining room windows.

A short time later, I noticed a very agitated Pete pacing back and forth, looking nervously toward the front of the house and growling.

I finally realized it was the settee, looming ominously (to Pete, anyway) in the window that had him upset.

Like many Aussies, Pete notices and worries about changes in his environment.

Here’s how he reacted the first time he saw the new minibarn behind our house in Thorntown, Ind. (The video was shot with my Treo 700p smartphone, so please excuse the low quality.)