So the new dog Hershi, is a female Mini Poodle/Whippet mix and an imp to boot. She is just being her happy enthusiastic self but leaves Chaos and devastation in her wake.
Her big facination is with mice, Live mice.
But let me back up. She is a hoarder, all poodles are hoarders. The collect all the toys, all the bones and stash them in one place. Not because they want them but so No One Else can have them. Hershi's stashing place of choice is in my bed, under the covers or pillows. Can you see what's coming? Sigh.
Well, being part Whippet and young makes Hershi very very fast. She will catch mice in the hay shed fairly often, and on occasion will not kill them just stun them on first strike. She then will scoop them up in her mouth and scratch at the back door to be let in. If I am distracted and don't check her mouth for contraband or a tell tale Tail, she will take her Prize to her stashing spot and well, stash it!
Now norrmally the heat from inside her moth will wake up the stunned mouse and the moment she releases it under the covers it begins a mad dash for freedom but on occasions it will lay still till it's covered up and she comes back to poke at it or the Golden Quinn goes near the bedroom and Hershi runs to retrieve her Prize that all hell breaks loose. Did I mention I sleep on a water bed? So 1 crazyed zigging field mouse under the covers, 1 whippet/Poodle frantically trying to catch and defend her prize via the pounce and squash method, 1 90lb Golden ( who smells like old french fries) grabbing mothfulls of covers and shaking violently, 1 feral bobcat trying to get under the covers to get an easy snack and me trying to save my waterbed.
Finally the mouse gets out from under the covers and escapes into the house. Now we have an open floor plan with very few walls so the dogs can really get up a head of steam and allmost run down the mouse. If that damn couch wasn't in the way it would have been as good as caught. Odd Physics fact. A 90 lb Golden can knock over a 300lb couch if he is running fast enough and uses it as a springboard to get distance for a jump.
As it was after about 3 minutes of keystone Cops type action in the Great Room the mouse headed into an open air shaft by the firebox too small for Hershi or Quinn. Not that Hershi didn't try to widen it by digging the venthole in the wall larger. But still not big enough. Mousey escaped into the reburn airduct for the firebox.
Hershi is now checked much more carefully for contraband but I have still missed one. It's strange to say but I was happy this one had passed on before it was stashed in the bed. Ahhhhhhh life on the farm with dogs.
lori
Her big facination is with mice, Live mice.
But let me back up. She is a hoarder, all poodles are hoarders. The collect all the toys, all the bones and stash them in one place. Not because they want them but so No One Else can have them. Hershi's stashing place of choice is in my bed, under the covers or pillows. Can you see what's coming? Sigh.
Well, being part Whippet and young makes Hershi very very fast. She will catch mice in the hay shed fairly often, and on occasion will not kill them just stun them on first strike. She then will scoop them up in her mouth and scratch at the back door to be let in. If I am distracted and don't check her mouth for contraband or a tell tale Tail, she will take her Prize to her stashing spot and well, stash it!
Now norrmally the heat from inside her moth will wake up the stunned mouse and the moment she releases it under the covers it begins a mad dash for freedom but on occasions it will lay still till it's covered up and she comes back to poke at it or the Golden Quinn goes near the bedroom and Hershi runs to retrieve her Prize that all hell breaks loose. Did I mention I sleep on a water bed? So 1 crazyed zigging field mouse under the covers, 1 whippet/Poodle frantically trying to catch and defend her prize via the pounce and squash method, 1 90lb Golden ( who smells like old french fries) grabbing mothfulls of covers and shaking violently, 1 feral bobcat trying to get under the covers to get an easy snack and me trying to save my waterbed.
Finally the mouse gets out from under the covers and escapes into the house. Now we have an open floor plan with very few walls so the dogs can really get up a head of steam and allmost run down the mouse. If that damn couch wasn't in the way it would have been as good as caught. Odd Physics fact. A 90 lb Golden can knock over a 300lb couch if he is running fast enough and uses it as a springboard to get distance for a jump.
As it was after about 3 minutes of keystone Cops type action in the Great Room the mouse headed into an open air shaft by the firebox too small for Hershi or Quinn. Not that Hershi didn't try to widen it by digging the venthole in the wall larger. But still not big enough. Mousey escaped into the reburn airduct for the firebox.
Hershi is now checked much more carefully for contraband but I have still missed one. It's strange to say but I was happy this one had passed on before it was stashed in the bed. Ahhhhhhh life on the farm with dogs.
lori
