Mystery Bell!

I never thought I’d own a yappy dog. But I do. When I encounter other dogs with their owners, I often hear, “That’s the yappy little dog that always barks at you.” Well, to be fair, Sophie rarely barks at them on the street. She prefers to bark safely from the top of the couch, staring at them through the living room window.

Sophie’s just doing her “job.” Defending our home against unwanted dogs. However, she was barking in the backyard recently…and incessantly. I thought a squirrel might be taunting her from the roof. Nope! A piece of rope was swaying in the wind, hanging from the eavestrough. Sophie felt something was not right.

This went on throughout the day. When Guy came home from work, I mentioned it. I wondered if a bell was attached to the rope. When our daughters were young, they had a rope tied to a tree to aid them in climbing. Attached to the rope was a bell. Our daughters are grown now, and the rope frayed and broke off last summer. I tied the smaller piece of rope, with the bell, to a tiny deck in the backyard. It was now missing.

Did a squirrel steal the rope and bell? Or should I blame crows? I heard crows like shiny trinkets and sometimes gift people with their treasures. I’d rather be gifted than have them take from me. Either way, it would’ve been a sight to see a little bird or animal stealing the rope and bell. Would the bell still be attached?

Guy managed to retrieve the rope from the roof. Yup! A bell was there, too! Sophie was pleased things were back to normal.

After Guy polished up the bell, the etchings on it stood out clearer. Googling the Latin words, I learned it’s a bell used at mass—a sanctuary bell. Aquila is Latin for eagle, the symbol for St. John. Agnus is Latin for lamb, symbolizing the Lamb of God. Pelicanus, Latin for pelican, is the symbol for the Eucharist. And Leo, Latin for lion, is the symbol for St. Mark.

So how did we end up with it? Our oldest daughter thought the bell was given to us by Nonna. But Nonna had no recollection of that taking place. You could say it didn’t ring a bell! One of our daughters was an altar girl but I couldn’t see her bringing the bell home from church.

The mystery of the bell and how it reached the rooftop remains unsolved. As for Sophie, she continues to defend our family from anything untoward. She’s currently barking at a tiny piece of black landscape fabric, dangling from a birdhouse, flapping in the breeze. Yesterday, a piece of Saran wrap was caught under my fence. It billowed menacingly, causing her alarm.

Others may see Sophie as just a yappy little dog. I know better. She works hard, all day long, to defend us from rope, Saran wrap and whatever else may potentially cause harm.

Sophie’s my constant companion and her antics bring me great joy. And I wouldn’t want it any other way!