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.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

And Jasper, please do not try to catch bees in mid-air.  They sting!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would not put it past him, Nancy. He is from a line of very accomplished agility dogs, and he can really jump. 

[Stella]

Ohhh, are you going to take up agility???!!!!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

No. Jasper would probably be great at it, but it is not something I can do. We're going to have to find another performance sport...maybe nose work. 

[Stella]

My guys both love nosework!! 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Our Fudge got a snake the other day. I hate snakes with every fiber of my being and swore if she ever touched one, I would have to re-home her. Luckily for her, I love her too darn much, but I was convinced she had snake skin in her teeth for an entire day afterwards. My husband told me I was nuts. I will tell you something I never want to hear my husband say again, "OMG, Fudge just caught the snake!" 

[Anne & Mr. Haley]

I was in the garage the other day and looked out to check on Haley.  I saw him hovering over this:

just checking it out.  I told him "leave it" and "back" and he did both.  So proud of Haley.  I put him in the house and went back to check on the critter and found it in my border next to the driveway.  Needless to say that was the end of my gardening for that day.  lol

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

What type of snake is that?  We don't have those around here I don't think.

[Anne & Mr. Haley]

One of the many different "black snakes".  It was actually more black than shows in this cellphone pic.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Nope we don't have those around here :)  

We do have these tiny little ones called "brown snakes".... I think they are cute.  They're about the size of a large nightcrawler worm lol.  I think the one in this pic is a baby but they don't get that much bigger.  Luna saw one once and didn't know what to make of it!

[Amy and Annabelle]

Maybe it's just me, but I would not put cute and snake in the same sentence.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would die if I saw anything even remotely resenbling this on my property ( or anywhere else for that matter). I'd have to move.