Nico the Shih-Tzu took his role as the house’s guardian very seriously. Maybe too seriously. If the job came with a badge, he would’ve polished it every day until it shone brighter than his fur after a good grooming. 

This was his house, his people, and nothing—not even the mailman—would breach his defenses on his watch.

Today, though, something felt off. Nico couldn’t explain it, but his nose twitched, his ears perked up at every creak and groan of the house. As he patrolled the living room like a fuzzy little security guard, his paws made soft pitter-patters on the hardwood floor. 

He was on high alert, constantly scanning for signs of danger. It could be anything—a squirrel in the yard, a leaf blowing across the porch, or worse: the Amazon delivery driver. The mere thought sent a shiver down his spine.

“Ruff!” Nico barked, skidding across the floor toward the front door for the tenth time that morning. He scratched at the bottom of the door, tail wagging like a furry metronome gone haywire. “Intruder alert! Possible invasion imminent!” 

From the top of her favorite sun-drenched windowsill, Olivia, the deeply spiritual tortoiseshell cat, raised an eyebrow and slowly licked her paw, seemingly unbothered by Nico’s constant state of panic. 

She had long since accepted that Nico’s inability to grasp the concept of “inner peace” would test her life as a Zen practitioner daily.

“Nico,” Olivia purred calmly, “breathe in… and out. Remember, fear is an illusion. Danger only exists in the mind.”

Nico stopped mid-scratch, his eyes wide and frantic. “What? No! Danger exists everywhere! I can smell it! What if the door opens? What if someone breaks in? What if… what if the vacuum cleaner gets loose again?”

Olivia sighed deeply, her tail twitching with the faintest hint of annoyance, though she tried her best to remain serene. “The vacuum cleaner is not your enemy. You must let go of your attachments to fear, my dear canine friend.”

“But I’m supposed to fear things!” Nico said, trotting in circles. “It’s my job! What kind of guard dog doesn’t fear the vacuum?”

At that moment, Oreo, the tuxedo cat and the resident troublemaker of the household, sauntered in, looking like a feline James Bond—sleek, stylish, and up to no good. Oreo lived for chaos. He took one look at Nico’s jittery state and decided today was going to be a fun day.

“Hey, Nico,” Oreo said with a devilish grin, “you hear that creaking noise from upstairs? I think someone’s up there. Could be a burglar. Or a ghost.”

Nico gasped, his fur standing on end. “A g-g-g-ghost?!” His bark reached an octave only dogs could hear as he bolted to the bottom of the stairs, barking his head off toward the upstairs hallway.

“Oh yes, definitely a ghost,” Oreo continued, strolling up next to Nico. “Did you see the way the curtains moved this morning? Super unnatural.”

“I knew it!” Nico barked, his eyes wide with panic. “There’s been a disturbance in the house all day! The wind was coming from the wrong direction!”

Oreo looked up toward Olivia, who gave him a slow, disapproving blink from her windowsill. “Oreo,” she said with a sigh, “you’re adding unnecessary ripples to the pond of Nico’s mind.”

“Ripples are fun,” Oreo said with a flick of his tail. “You should try it sometime, O ‘Zen Master.’ Keeps life spicy.”

Nico, meanwhile, was in a frenzy. He rushed from the front door to the back, peering out of every window, his tail twitching with the intensity of a caffeine addict on his sixth espresso. 

“I knew something was off! I knew it! The house is under siege, and you two are just sitting there—one of you meditating, the other playing mind games with me!”

From the kitchen, Nico’s humans—Nick, Rachel, and Rachel’s mom, Roxanne—looked up from their lunch, perplexed by the continuous barking.

“Do you think Nico’s okay?” Rachel asked, furrowing her brow as she sipped her coffee.

Nick shrugged. “He’s probably just barking at the neighbor’s dog again. Or, you know, air.”

“He’s been at it all day,” Roxanne added, shaking her head. “Bless his little heart, but that dog needs therapy.”

Rachel stood up, walking over to the window to peek out into the yard. “There’s nothing out there! Nico, calm down!”

But Nico didn’t hear her. He was too busy running his sixth security sweep of the day. His mind was racing with possibilities. Was it a pack of wild raccoons? A rogue delivery truck? A cat uprising?

“I’ve got to protect the humans!” he muttered, zigzagging across the living room. “They’re completely unaware of the dangers around them. They need me! I’m the only one standing between them and total disaster!”

“You really need to chill out, man,” Oreo said, hopping onto the couch and stretching out lazily. “It’s a nice day. Why not nap in the sun? I’ve got a solid 14 hours scheduled myself.”

“I can’t nap!” Nico said, his eyes darting around. “Who will watch the house? Who will alert the humans if danger comes?”

“Woof! Woof!” Nico barked at nothing in particular, making Rachel jump from her seat in the kitchen.

“Oh my gosh, Nico, give it a rest!” Rachel called, rubbing her temples. “You’re barking at nothing!”

“Not nothing,” Nico whispered to himself, his ears twitching. “The nothingness is just as dangerous.”

Olivia rolled her eyes—at least as much as a Zen cat could roll them. “You are creating your own suffering, Nico. You should come up here and meditate with me. Find your inner stillness.”

“I can’t!” Nico barked. “What if someone sneaks in while I’m meditating? What if… what if a squirrel makes it past the yard?”

“Squirrels are beings, too,” Olivia said sagely, closing her eyes. “They deserve our compassion.”

“They deserve to be barked at!” Nico countered.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Nico froze, his eyes wide. “This is it!” he squeaked. “THEY’RE HERE!”

“Relax, it’s probably just a package,” Oreo said with a nonchalant wave of his paw. “Maybe a box of catnip. Or some dog treats. But, you know, if it’s a zombie attack, you’ve got my full support. From a distance.”

Nico bolted toward the door, his paws scrambling on the hardwood. He barked ferociously, his little body bouncing with each yelp. “Not on my watch! Not today!”

Nick walked over, opening the door to reveal an Amazon driver holding a small package. “Thanks,” Nick said, giving Nico a bemused look as he handed the package to Roxanne.

“You see?” Oreo said with a smirk, jumping down from the couch. “The ‘danger’ was just a box. Probably some boring human stuff.”

But Nico wasn’t listening. He had already leaped into action, sniffing the package, circling it suspiciously. 

“It could be a trap,” he murmured. “What if there’s something dangerous inside? Anthrax? A booby trap? Or… or…a squeaky toy from a rival dog?!”

Olivia stretched and jumped down from her windowsill, gliding over with her usual air of tranquility. “Nico, my dear friend, let the package be. It is not the enemy you seek.”

Nico’s tail wagged nervously. “You’re sure? Because I could shred it open right now and find out.”

“Be still,” Olivia said, touching Nico gently with her paw. “Fear will lead you astray. And besides, they deliver packages here every day without incident.”

“But… but…” Nico looked around, panting.

“Let go of the what-ifs,” Olivia purred, her voice like a lullaby. “And perhaps, consider a nap.”

Nico blinked up at her, still jittery, but Olivia’s calm presence had an oddly soothing effect. “A nap?”

“Yes,” Olivia said, settling down onto a cushion. “You’ve earned it, after all your hard work. Just… breathe.”

Oreo, meanwhile, looked down at Nico, who was finally starting to relax. He winked, leaning down to whisper, “But just so you know, I heard the wind whisper earlier. Might’ve been a ghost.”

Nico shot up like a rocket, his eyes wide. “Ghost?! Where?!”

From the kitchen, the humans looked over at their trio of pets, now standing in various states of chaos and calm.

“Why do you think Nico is barking again?” Nick asked, exasperated.

“I think he’s just being Nico,” Rachel said with a smile, walking over to rub the little Shih-Tzu’s head. “Always on the job.”

Roxanne chuckled. “He takes his work seriously. Too seriously.”

As they watched Nico race back to his post by the window, scanning the horizon for any more threats, they couldn’t help but laugh at their tiny, overzealous guardian.

At the end of the day, when all the windows were secure and all the packages deemed safe, Nico finally curled up in bed, his little body relaxing for the first time all day. As he drifted asleep, he muttered, “No ghosts… not on my watch.”

Olivia purred softly beside him, her eyes half-closed in meditation, while Oreo silently plotted his next prank.

And for the first time all day, the house was peaceful… at least until tomorrow.

The End