My birthday started out like any other day.  Dad left me explore outside after lunch and I was making a big circle around the house when I picked up a new strange scent.  I know the scents of many animals and this was different and new to me.  It sort of smelled raw to me.  I followed it out in the woods and soon came up to this grey animal with long poky hair that was chewing the bark on a tree.  I sounded my alarm bark and my Dad called me back to the house.  He made me wait in the house while he removed the animal.  Then we investigated where the animal was eating the bark.  Dad praised me for calling the alarm and told me to “leave-it”.  He told me it was a porcupine and that I would have been hurt bad trying to catch it or play with it because the long hairs would stick in my mouth and paws and I would need to go to the vet.  He said I was a very smart dog to know not to try and catch it and that I had very good breeding!  Thank you Alta-Tollhaus.