My dog Laima has always been remarkably calm and thoughtful. She’s not the kind to bark for no reason. If she does — something’s definitely going on. But lately, her behavior had started to puzzle me.
Every day, around the same time when the sun was already high in the sky, Laima would go to the window and start barking loudly. Her eyes were fixed on the same spot — the lilac bush by the fence. She would sit down, tuck her tail, but never look away.
At first, I waved it off. Maybe a cat ran by, or birds built a nest there — perhaps even a hedgehog rustling in the leaves. But what made me uneasy was how regular it all was. Every single day, almost like clockwork, Laima would take up her “post.”
After a week, I found myself waiting for it too — watching to see if she’d do it again. And sure enough, as if on cue, she’d spring up, rush to the window, and start barking.
— “Laima, what do you keep seeing there?” I asked one day, though of course, I didn’t expect an answer.
Curiosity got the better of me. One afternoon, I decided to check. I put on garden gloves so I wouldn’t get scratched and walked to the lilac bush. Laima followed right beside me, her eyes fixed on the branches, as if saying, “You’re on the right track.”
I bent down, carefully pushed the branches apart… and froze.
Right under the bush, curled up tightly on the soft grass, was a massive hedgehog. A real spiky giant — almost the size of a watermelon! Its quills shimmered in the sunlight as it slept peacefully, like in its own tiny fortress.
For a moment, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. My heart was racing from surprise, and then I burst out laughing — all those worries and guesses, and it turned out to be something so simple.
From that day on, I knew we had a new little resident. Laima stopped barking. She still came to the bush, but now with curiosity — even a touch of respect. She would sit nearby, quietly watching her prickly neighbor, as if guarding his sleep.
When the neighbors found out, they laughed: “Now that’s a true guard dog — she found someone to watch over!” Kids came to see the “hedgehog giant.”
And every time I saw them together, I couldn’t help thinking — maybe animals really do sense more than we do. Maybe they notice things we usually overlook.
And who knows… maybe this unexpected neighbor will bring us another surprise someday. Because every time I walk past that bush now, I can’t help but wonder — what if something new is curled up under those leaves again?
