Taga's Mouse Hunt

Since Kitty Rory, the Great Mouser died in the Summer of 2010 I've had to rely on the dogs to keep the various small critters outside from getting inside. Luckily Taga is quite good at catching things ranging from mouse on up through raccoons. Much to my chagrin, he brings many of them to me. As if I knew what to do with them? All I do is put them in a plastic grocery bag and deposit them in the trash the next time I go out. It's always at the worst times too. One day while my niece was visiting to see the Zen Litter, Taga thought it was only good company manners to bring in a dead mouse and set it on the rubber bin next to the pen, right as Nari and I were zoning out watching them nurse. How sweet! I've also seen Quileute bring a mouse inside and instead of killing it right away, she will play with it like a cat would.  She let it loose and would bat it from side to side with her paws, not realizing that I was watching, before finally putting it out of it's misery. You've heard of "cat and mouse"?  Well, here it's "Chinook and mouse."

For years I've kept my dog food in a steel trash can with a tight fitting lid to prevent creatures from getting into it other than the dogs eating what I serve them at meal times. For the puppy kibble I'd bought a plastic trash can since I needed a trash can in my office after I was done with the puppy food. I don't let the dogs into the laundry room since it also serves as my pantry but on occasion one (Lolo) will sneak in and try to get an extra snack. Tuesday evening I'd caught Lolo in the act and given her a stern lecture on the subject of our national obesity epidemic. But Wednesday morning when I went to get puppy food, I saw it tilted over almost on its side again. I was so busy cussing out Lolo, who was no where in hearing distance, as I picked it up that it took me a moment before I noticed the mouse inside the trash can. He was a fat little guy from gorging on kibble probably most of the night.

The mouse at the bottom of the dog food bin
after gorging all night on rich puppy kibble.

To get the other dogs out of the way, I fed the girl dogs in their crates and the puppies in their pen. After Taga was done eating, I took him and the trash can with said mouse still captive inside, out front where I'd just spent a few days putting down fresh shavings. I barely tilted the can before the mouse zoomed out, just barely missing Taga's mouth. The games were on.

Is he still alive? The mouse kept trying to burrow into the shavings to escape but they just aren't deep enough.	Bye-bye Mr. Mouse