Dogs can be very protective of their owners. When my family and I decided to camp out in a friends yard in midsummer, I learned this when our dogs launched into a fight.

My dad Tony, my brother Aidan, and I went to a friend’s house during midsummer when I was young. We brought our dog with us. His name was Abner, short for Abnormal, and it was definitely an abnormal night. For some reason or another, we decided to camp out in our friend’s yard.

All was well for a few hours; Abner slept outside the tent and everything was peaceful. It was a good night to sleep outside. It was at midnight that something went wrong.

The friend’s dog, small and short, became curious about the tent in the yard. If I were him I’d probably wonder why someone was camping in his yard too. He wandered over slowly without any idea of Abner’s power. That was the biggest mistake he probably ever made.

He tried to enter the tent to get to us but that was when Abner decided to make his move. They launched into a fight in the middle of the night. It was dark and hard to see, but you could hear them just fine. I think everyone just wanted to sleep at that point, but it was obvious this wasn’t something to put off. I stayed asleep for a minute or two myself, until I heard my dad yelling, “Break them up!” through the noises of the dogs. By now you could tell that only one of the dogs wanted to quit. The friends, hearing my dad and the two dogs going at it, woke up and came running out the back door as fast as the dogs had started the fight. With my dad and the friends working together, they were able to get the dogs under control in a few minutes. It was over.

The results: Abner was perfectly unharmed. The friend’s dog: Probably in the worst condition of its life. After that point I don’t remember much, the other dog was probably rushed to the vet. But in the end, both dogs were okay. That morning, a lot of apologies were said from both sides. Us saying we should’ve watched Abner. Them saying they should’ve kept their dog inside. We left not too long after.

I learned that day, and a few times after that day, that my dog would do his best to protect the family. He’s fourteen now, or about ninety-eight in dog years. He’s almost completely blind, but he’s still doing his best. I’m glad my dad went to a kennel fourteen years ago.