I’ve been patient. I’ve been professional. I’ve handled this with more restraint than most dogs would, and I think it’s time everyone acknowledged that — and also time we addressed the actual problem, which is the squirrels.

Let me document what has been happening, because I want there to be a record.

The squirrel in the oak tree — gray, medium build, highly motivated — has been operating in my yard since at least October. I have watched him from the back door. I have watched him from the yard. I have watched him from the second-floor window once when circumstances aligned. He does not leave when I approach the tree. He goes up approximately four feet and then stops, which is not fleeing — that’s positioning. He’s making a statement. I see it. I know what it means.

Two weeks ago, he moved to the fence. The fence. That is the boundary. He sat on the top rail and ate something while looking down at me in a way I can only describe as deliberate. I barked. He finished eating. He left when he was ready.

My containment strategy is as follows: consistent perimeter patrols at dawn, midday, and dusk; vocal alerts whenever movement is detected in or near the oak tree; sustained surveillance from the back door window during indoor hours. I’ve been executing this plan every day.

The humans are not taking this seriously.

When I alert them to activity, they say things like “it’s just a squirrel” — a phrase that tells me they have fundamentally misread the situation. They have not observed what I have observed. They have not seen the fence rail moment.

I am not asking for much. I’m asking for acknowledgment. Maybe a task force. A working group at minimum.

The yard is our shared responsibility. I’m the only one doing the work.