Wildlife adventures - and the day I didn’t want dogs anymore

[Stacy]

Okay, not really. But, /insert-whine-mode. I think my dogs are my children. And then they do something like this. I have a love/hate relationship with spring. I’m finally not cold! Less clothes, boating, I don’t even mind mowing the grass. The rabbits seem to have gotten smart enough not to have babies in the yard this year.

The birds have not gotten smart enough not to dump their babies out of the nest and into my yard to learn to fly. Fledglings. Neither one of the girls are super hunters, but put little baby hoppy birds (I think they’re Starlings) in the yard and what do their mamas expect? The first one I took away from them and put it under the fence. The mom bird was *angry* and she tried to dive bomb me. Come on here bird! I’m the one trying to help you. It just sat there and Maggie stuck her head under the fence and pulled it back out. I put it under the fence again where she couldn’t get it. I like to think that it’s living a happy life next door.

The second one, well. I don’t think Katie meant to hurt it, but she picked it up by the eyeball and let’s just say it didn’t make it. I disposed of the poor baby birdy body and tried not to think about it.

And then today. I worked all day. I came home and Maggie had pulled a sun catcher out of the window and broken it all over the floor (why?) and did a little pee-pee on the carpet after a month of no accidents! I just had 2 weeks off and I was with them practically every minute. Do you think that she forgot that I sometimes have to work and that we had decided that pee was just for outside? I cleaned the carpet for the million-billionth time So frustrating. I really thought we were past this. That’s what I get for telling everyone that she was potty trained.

Then it happened. I climbed in bed with my string cheese and my drink. I look around for the remote. I lose that thing every time I’m not actively holding it. I didn’t find the remote, but (you all know where this is going, right?) There’s a dead baby bird under.my.pillow! People. My pillow!


I don’t know who did it. I have my suspicion, but no one is in trouble. But I would love it if someone could explain to me why I am so ridiculously in love with these dogs, and they repay me by bringing dead things into my bed. My happy place! The only thing that belongs in bed are me, snacks, dogs, and maybe the remote if I could ever find it again. And then they both have The audacity to look at me like they’re insulted that I didn’t appreciate their present. Or maybe they were just saving it for later. I love dogs. I love dogs. I love dogs.

Maybe I should just learn to love winter? These things don’t happen in the winter.

[Lynda Kamrath]

I could use a dog like that.  We have all kinds of critters around here and most are not appreciated, especially the ones who enjoy my garden as much as I do.

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

You made me smile and then LOL! Thanks.  I love dogs, I love dogs,  In theory I love puppies.  Murphy is 7 months and an awesome puppy, could not be a better puppy.  But the key word is puppy.  Last night she peed right on the family room rug.  She knows where to pee, how to ask to go out.  Apparently I am the house broken one.  Tigger just looked at me and smiled.  I swear he smiled, maybe laughed at me.  Tigger is 10, tolerant and good natured around Murphy.  But when he is done with her he is DONE with her.  Then she is all mine.  She winds up around 8 or 9 pm just as I am dragging.  Tigger is in or on one of his safe places.  I, too, am showing my age :D.  Thus far no dead animals and no more rattlesnake encounters.

[Stacy]

I'm glad you laughed! Puppies are challenging. Katie was such a stinker. She ate everything. But they're sweet and funny and once I stop screaming I can't help but laugh. 

[Andrea, Belle and Honey]

I’m probably tempting fate by saying this, but so far none of my dogs have ever been able to catch wildlife, though much delicious deer poop has been consumed. The cats, however, oh the cats. We live in an area surrounded by woods, and mice are frequent guests. The late great Sophie the Cat yowled a triumphant fight song while doing battle against the invaders. Roxie quietly catches a teeny tiny mousie every so often during the night, and presents it to me inside my bed room slippers. Nothing like rolling out of bed to race to the bathroom and shoving your toes against a corpse! 

[Stacy]

You win! Please don't let anyone put anything dead in my shoe! I can't even... 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

We’ve had several prizes brought to us. Because we have a dog door these critters get presented mostly inside. At least the dead possum was left outside. The boys’ current fav are lizards and their detached tails. Ugh! I’ve taken to using my book light to check the floor if I get up to pee at night. 

[Stacy]

I didn't even mention the possum adventures! Those stupid things stand on the top of the fence in the middle of the night and tease the dogs. I'm sure my neighbors love me. I'm out there hollering and trying to herd them back into the house and they are barking like fools and the possum just laughs. The possum also dangles it's rat-like tail over the side and my biggest fear is that Maggie is going to jump high enough to catch the stupid thing. Then what am I going to do? This is the moment when I really really wish I had a husband to take care of the gross things. The last one I saw this spring was really big with a really long tail. I'm sort of embarrassed to admit that I took the pooper-scooper and shoved it off the fence. I wasn't trying to hurt it, I just wanted it to go away. And maybe he told his buddies, because they haven't been back.

I really actually love almost all wildlife. I just don't want it in my house, and I definitely don't want it dead under my pillow. If the critters stay outside and out of the dogs mouth we will all get along just fine.

[Amy and Annabelle]

No, you don't want a husband. Outside of taking care of wasps and dead things, their value goes down pretty quick. Just kidding...
Annabelle tried to bring a dead baby bunny into the house last year. I got her to drop it on the patio and hubs disposed of it. This year she has a snake friend. The thing is getting so big., I am so scared I'm going to find it in the house one day. So it could be worse.

[Stacy]

Oh my gosh, you make me laugh! My mom always volunteers my dad to come assist with the things that make me scream, but I have a serious case of 'I can do it myself' so I usually decline. I don't even mind snakes, provided they aren't poisonous and they don't surprise me by being under my pillow. I'm happy to say that the girls haven't given me a snake or spider present.

I'm not going to lie. I wouldn't be upset if they would bring me a ground squirrel that I could raise as my very own. They're so cute and sweet. I think it would be the perfect complement to me and two dogs. But so far all they've given me is the dead baby bird. I always say that dogs are an adventure! I never get bored.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Here is Jasper's contribution to the wildlife discussion for today. He just ate a big black ant...alive. 

[Stacy]

Oh Jasper, and here I thought you were just the most perfect dog in all the world. Perfect dogs do not eat ants. And please, do not imitate your doodle cousins - dead baby birds are not presents. You don't have to be a vegan, but civilized dogs appreciate cooked animal protein vs. that randomly procured from the back yard. I'm pretty sure your mama would love it if you didn't eat live ants. And maybe don't kiss her for just a little bit. Just long enough for the ant cooties to wear off at least. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Amen. lol