I came home from a gig early one morning, about 2:30. I usually let the dog out for a quick pee while I load my gear in and get ready for bed. While he was outside I took off my clothes and threw them down the basement stairs where the laundry room is. So, just then, I heard my dog barking. I was emmediatley scared because Malamutes rarely bark. It was only the second time I every heard him bark. I ran out back to see that he had this hissing muskrat on our deck. The Muskrat was the aggressor because he ran at our dog and latched on to his snout. My dog was spinning and yelping and this muskrat was hanging on for dear life with his teeth, going round and round. I ran in the house and grabbed the first thing I could, which was a cheap broom. Anyway, back out to the deck I went in nothing but my boxers. The Muskrat had let go, and he was about 10 feet from me and started to run at me. I was wacking at it like crazy and ened up breaking the broom handle in half, jumping up and down so he wouldn't bite my feet. My dog grabbed him by the back with his teeth and whipped him off of the deck. He then ran and lunged off of the deck, body slamming the Muskrat. I ran back in to grab something else and found a shovel. My dog had backed away and the Muskrat lay motionless. I figured he had knocked him out. I quicly unhooked my dog and led him in the house. I went back out to finish off the muskrat with the shovel and when I got there, it was gone. When I headed back to the deck stairs, the damn thing came at me again from under the deck. It was dark and I couldn't really see well, and I was pretty scared by then, so I turned and ran out of my yard and into the street. In my boxer shorts. With a shovel. Anyway, the thing ended up running away and I never saw it again. It took a decent chunk of flesh out of my dogs mouth, which he recovered fine from, but still has a scar. Me, well, I'm just glad that nobody was up to see me running around in my back yard and the street in nothing but my underwear and socks.