He began by barking at the first dog walker of the morning. "RUFF RUFF," he yapped. The poor dog walker was so startled she tipped her coffee mug and stained her denim jacket sleeve. "RUFF RUFF," Chopper continued, and the poor old lady and her tiny Pomeranian scooted off down the street at a decidedly quicker pace than that at which they had approached Chopper's home originally.

His next big moment came when a brutish-looking man walking a German Shephard came strutting down the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. Never one to be intimidated, Chopper dutifully carried on the day's work with a single loud and decisive "RUFF!" The German Shepherd barked back. "RUFF RUFF!" Chopper answered, more forcefully than the first. "RUFF RUFF RUFF!" At first, the German Shepherd seemed to be gaining ground, as he was starting to drift off into the street. Fortunately, though, the rough man was able to hold him back and keep him on the sidewalk. Chopper could hear the man mutter a few stern words to the German Shepherd as he scampered off down the street, tail between his legs.

The final test of the day came by surprise. Chopper was normally keen to the goings-on concerning the local trees in the area, but an afternoon nap had slackened his alertness. As he arose from his brief slumber in a drowsy state of mind, he could barely make out a couple of blurry shadows dancing on the branches of his favorite tree. Not being sure he was still dreaming, he blinked a few times to clear up his vision, and upon gaining clarity of sight he was horrified to discover that the dancing blotches in the tree were in fact a pair of Squirrels engaging in a game of tag! "RUFF RUFF RUFF RUFF!" he yammered. The squirrels at first sought safety in stillness, hoping to wear out the dog's attention through their inactivity. But Chopper was a vigilant dog, and not one to be fooled so easily. He circled the tree a few times to make sure the Squirrels hadn't eluded his sight, and a slight twitch from one of the Squirrel's fluffy tails gave away their position. "RUFF RUFF!" he hollered, and off they went!

Being satisfied with his day's work, Chopper decided to pack it in. He picked up his briefcase and trotted over to the front porch. He let himself in by his favorite dog door and was welcomed by an enthusiastic and proud Owner. The Owner handed Chopper his treat and invited him to sit down on the couch beside him. The couch felt so warm and comfortable after the day's work. Chopper could feel the aches in his legs and the burn in his eyes from the hard labor of running up and down the yard scouting for trespassers and wanderers. He found he couldn't sit up any longer, and lay his head down on his Owner's lap. The day's hard work had finally come to an end.

"How was work today, Chopper?" his Owner asked.

Chopper strained his tired neck to turn around and give his Owner a simple, yet honest answer: "Rough."