Most Annoying House on the Block

Have I told you that people walking their dog past our house actually cross the street before they get to our yard?  We live on a corner lot and our two (moron) dogs are the scourge of the neighborhood when they are out in our fenced backyard.  Steve isn't so bad; but any bike, person, scooter, dog, truck, or turtle that Payton sees on the other side of the fence sets of doggie-DEFCON 1 and she runs the length of the fence barking her face off.  Steve only gets involved if there is a dog on the other side of the fence, but his involvement in this activity adds a level of intimidation that Payton can only dream to convey on her own. 

As if this were not enough reason to avoid our house as if it were quarantined, we seem to have added an early morning dog alarm to the property.  Catie. 

Catie likes to crawl around the deck in the morning while Mama eats breakfast outdoors (disclaimer: the deck has the worlds best railing and gate, thanks to my dad, so no chance of getting stuck or falling through).  Today Payton and Steve were down in the yard, and having spied a dog at least two blocks away Payton was at her worst.  Catie was watching her, amused, and started calling out "Dag!  Dag!"  All of a sudden her adorable dog-calls changed to all out ear piercing shrieks of joy, high-pitch and high-volume, echoing through the entire neighborhood.  I turn to see that a man is walking his two dogs, across the street of course, and Catie is now literally standing and shaking the railing.  Although I can tell she's just excited, the sound she's making is going to make someone call DCFS, so I scoop her up and take her inside to chill-out.  Maggie then jumps off her chair and to try and calm down (boss around) the dogs by stating, "Dogs!  You two stop that or I'm going to STRANGLE you!"  Howdy neighbor!