PJ has some hound in her lineage and she’s a sniffing machine. If she gets a scent on the trail, there is almost no derailing her: not with treats, not with anything. So, last night I let the doggies out for bedtime pees.
Brogan rolls back in but where is Miss PJ?
I call and call and call. Then I bring in the big guns.
“TREATS! TREATS!” I shout loudly probably to the consternation of my neighbors.
No PJ.
I get the flashlight out and go looking for her.
She’s all the way against the fence and is definitely into something.
(At this point, I know when she’s got her houndy-hound self into trouble.) Finally, she comes running over to me with …. something in her mouth!!!
OH LORD!
I am horrified and grossed out by this event and am working my fool head off to get her to drop it. PJ seems to think it’s a toy of some sort.
She finally lets it go and I could see it was a wee squirrel who apparently met his/her demise at the hands of my stupid dog. (This makes me so sad, you guys.)
I shuffle her in the house, leaving said dearly- departed on the steps and hastily write Duty a note to please please please go get it in the morning because ewwww x infinity and my heart was sad.
Meanwhile, I gave her a serious talking-to about it and she knew I was pissed and upset. She tucked her tail under and kept looking at Brogan for support.
Usually, we all hustle upstairs and settle on the bed, she’s on my right and B-dog on my left. This time, she practically crawled up my shirt for trying to get close to me. She was pitiful in her need to get back into my good graces.
PJ isn’t the sharpest dog when it comes to brains but she’s got some well-honed instincts. I have a feeling she had to fend for herself a lot before she came to live with us because she’s rather primitive in that way.
Anyway, Duty took care of dearly-departed squirrel and I thanked him by baking cookies. (I am nice like that.)
Checked with our favorite vet who said squirrels usually don’t carry rabies so not to worry about PJ. (YEY for that.)
I know the animal kingdom does its own thing but I really, really don’t like this part of it and have never had a dog who was like that. True, it’s the first time in the year we’ve had her that she’s done this and my sense is that it was wrong time, wrong place for the squirrel. Still. Ewww.
Let us never speak of this again.
(Is it possible to send a birthday shout-out into the ether knowing the other party will never see it? As the High Priestess of the Woo, I say YES! HB to FB0033. Wishing you tons of love and joy wherever you are!)
