It was one o’clock in the morning when I awakened to the sound of a howling dog–and again at three-thirty.

The next morning, in a different state of consciousness, I wondered if the howling dog was only a bad dream.

I called my neighbor to confirm.

“Were you awakened in the night by a howling dog?”

“Yes,” she answered in an irritated tone.

Just to be sure, I called another neighbor who also heard the howling dog. Yet, none of us were sure where the howling came from; we only knew it came from below. We live on the rim of a hillside overlooking a cul-de-sac of houses referred to as the bowl.

The bowl is known for its amazing acoustics and long before our homes were built, the bowl was used as a stadium for the rodeo and other events.

When I stand in my backyard, I can hear the conversations of my neighbors and they can hear mine. We’ve had some fun with this over the years. On the fourth of July, a visiting tenor and member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir stood on the deck and sang the Star Spangled Banner. My daughter played her violin on spring days when windows were open. Above the bowl, I have been entertained by heated baseball games among brothers and a drum concert from a talented percussionist.

Wonderful acoustics aside, it is a pernicious environment for a howling dog in the middle of the night.

The next evening, the howling started at eight o’clock and continued in 15-minute intervals. I started to not only worry about my impending sleep deprivation, but I also feared for a dog that might be in distress. I decided to get in my car and drive around the neighborhood.

On my way to the garage, I decided to first check my own backyard.

My step into the chilly night air coincided perfectly with the dog’s howl. I was startled by how close it sounded. I walked down a flight of stairs and opened the gate. There it was! The howling, frightened dog was in my own backyard. Fortunately, it was a beagle I recognized.

A few phone calls later and the story emerged. Charlie, the offending beagle was missing for two days. Its owner had been searching the dog pounds, shelters, and the surrounding hills. The owner’s four children had been praying every night for Charlie’s return.

I thought of my irritation because someone let his dog howl through the night. Then I thought of the neighbor’s below my house, who knew where the all-night howling was coming from-my house! I thought of their irritation, complaints and patience. Two days worry about someone else’s problem when it was really my own.

I had a good laugh because there was little else to do. But I kept hearing my sister repeat an old adage she is quite fond of, “Clean your own backyard before you clean mine,” or in Biblical prose: “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in they brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”