I read an update from my alarm system company was available. I decided to  go for it update my system. This is a two fold process. First a sales person is required to come to the home. They go over the options of the upgrade. The first things you are shown  are all the bells and whistles. Then, the price of all those Bells and Whistles. Whew.

One system came with a new key pad and a camera for inside the home. Cool. The new system can be accessed through my phone, tablet or computer anywhere that has WiFi. This is really cool. The difference is only $10 more a month. No, I didn’t opt for the outside camera, the doorbell camera, the garage door opener, the new thermostat which allows remote adjusting and/or the socket adapters for lights. These can be turned on or off from your phone/tablet or computer too. I’m taking baby steps here.

By the way, the sales person was in my home and noticed that I have a dog. She even commented on how cute she is and she gave little Diva a treat. Diva sat quietly after receiving her treat and let us discuss the alarm system.

Phase two, the installation, is ordered and scheduled for early in the morning on a Monday. I set my alarm before going to bed on Sunday night. After all, I want to be dressed and have at least one cup of coffee before the technician arrives.

Monday morning and all is well.  I am up, dressed and coffee poured. Ah, ready for the day. I get a phone call from the tech and he is about 15 minutes away.

Cool, the day is progressing nicely.

Diva starts barking, this is my first alert alarm system. Someone has pulled a car into my driveway. Diva is at the front door letting me know that company is here. I open the door to greet the technician and he remains outside my screen door.

“This is Diva, she’s friendly. I will give you a treat to give her and she will leave you alone.” I say.

“Dog, I don’t like dogs. Keep her away from me.” He says.

WTF? He refuses to enter until I have Diva in my arms. Really? Diva is a Cockapoo and weighs about 12 pounds. She is a sweet little dog.  Diva is wagging her little tail, happy to have company. I give her the treat that is in my hand.

Mr. Technician goes into the room where the large alarm panel after about 10 minutes, he  comes back out.

“I’m going to get my tools and will be working in that room for awhile.”  And out the front door he goes. In a few short minutes he is back with his load of stuff.

I close the door to the room and put Diva down. I’m working on some things in another room. All seems to be going well. Suddenly I hear “DOG!” yelled loudly.

I head in the direction of the voice and there stands the tech with his hands up and my 12 pound dog sitting on the floor wagging her tail. I pick up Diva and walk into the kitchen. The tech walks by and then out to his truck. I hold Diva while he returns to the other room. I again shut the door and put Diva down.

Yes, the sequence repeats itself a number of times more. “DOG” go to where the tech is standing, hands up in the air, pick up Diva, wait for him to exit the area, put Diva down and wait for the next “DOG” shout.

Mind you the process of upgrading/updating my system took 4 yes, FOUR hours. So you can imagine how much fun it was to try to keep Diva out of range of the tech. All she wanted to do was to say Hi.

I began to wonder why, if the Technician is so adverse to dogs, the fact of a dog being present at the client’s home is not noted. DON’T send this guy!!!! It is a pain, believe me.

The work is almost complete and now it is time to go over the directions for using the system. I put Diva in my bedroom so that I can give Mr. Technician my complete attention. We go over the keypad and then it is time to set up the remote access and make sure it is working correctly. All is good.

I thank him, shut the screen door and let Diva out of the bedroom.

Next time I have a repairman or technician to the house, I am going to explain that I have a small dog and ask . . .

“Do you have any problem with that?”

If the answer is Yes . . .

“NEXT” will be my reply.