The One that Got Away (and the One that Didn't)

I was beginning to think that the dogs had retired from their job of keeping critters off the property. There are rabbits in my garden and raccoons up the mulberry tree. And the dogs seem to be oblivious. Have they given up? Gotten tired? Lost their excessively fierce urge to hunt? What gives, dogs?

But then they cornered a woodchuck yesterday. Unfortunately for them, they cornered it in the rock wall in the old milk barn foundation, where it wedged itself under the rocks juuuust out of reach of the dogs' snarling and slavering mouths. I could see its furry little rear end in there and I bet the dogs could have licked the thing. But they didn't want to lick it; they wanted to annihilate it. Except they couldn't get at it and it was driving them MAD.

I bet that was one traumatized little woodchuck, right there.

I was alerted to this situation when I heard the high-pitched yelps that indicate serious hunting. But there was nothing I could do to help them. Those rocks are cemented in and can't be moved; there was no way to get at the woodchuck from another angle. It was just . . . there. Where we could see it, but not get at it.

The MiL and I had to drag the dogs away and lock them up so the woodchuck could get out and go away. I hope that it considers this reprieve as an opportunity to examine its life and get on a more positive track. A track that does not involve coming on our property again, as it will probably not be so lucky next time.

Later in the afternoon when Cubby and I were wandering around outside, we came upon Otty eating some small animal. It was a little rabbit. Hopefully the one that's been eating my beets. So that probably made Otty feel a little bit better about the emancipated woodchuck.

It was a big hunting day for the dogs yesterday, albeit a somewhat frustrating one. But at least I know they're still on the job.