Karla's Kolumn

How many dogs does it take to catch a one little mouse? The answer? More than three apparently.

People who have read this column over the years know we used to have a dog, Sarah, who we dubbed the rat killer. She could sniff them out, catch and kill them. She passed the Rainbow Bridge a few years ago and we have not had a dog with those skills since.

Apparently, Shadow has developed the skill to find the mice but not to catch them.

I got home Monday night and let the dogs outside. I followed so I could take them for a walk and set the water in the yard. I see Shadow in the dog kennel checking out the doghouse (a large dog crate we turned into a doghouse. I knew that look and mannerism. There was something under the doghouse.

Ivy caught on real quick and she joined Shadow in sniffing all around the dog house and trying to get underneath.

So I move the dog house. I don’t see anything because unbeknownst to me at that time, this mouse was pretty savvy and moved quickly with the doghouse, driving my dogs nuts.

Roscoe, who had been eating grass, chasing grasshoppers and in general oblivious to what was going on in the kennel ventures over but does not realize there is something under the doghouse. He thinks it’s a game and every time Shadow darted to another side of the doghouse he gave chase and tried to playfully attack her.

I ran inside for a few minutes, Roscoe came with me. Not interested in whatever game his sisters were playing. I stopped on the front porch to ask Tigger, who was lounging on top of his cat house, if he could help and I got the typical cat, condescending look, like “not my problem.”

Fluffy, our other cat, was not around at the time.

Back outside I tried to help the dogs, after flipping the doghouse on its side, back over and moving it several times, the mouse had enough and ran out from under the doghouse out of the kennel and under the nearby dumpster. Well Roscoe finally saw the mouse and gave chase, the mouse ran back from the Dumpster under the doghouse again.

At that point I gave up and went and set the water. I came back and found now three dogs circling the doghouse. Occasionally I would see a little mouse tail and one dog would pounce on that side, the tail would disappear and everyone would rotate.

I wondered how long this might go on.

The dogs were all completely focused on the task at hand now. With dogs on three sides, I was on the outside of the kennel trying to watch from the back side I see the mouse again slip out and run to the dumpster. None of the dogs saw this and as I hollered they ignored me.

I checked under the dumpster … no mouse. I glance around and see him moving quickly under the shed. Safe from three dogs, one human and one lounging cat.

The dogs, sadly still had not figured out the mouse was no longer there.

I went inside to wait for them to figure out, and they did about 10 minutes later.

Every time we went outside the rest of the night, Shadow would run to the doghouse to check. I would wait and if she stayed I would know the mouse was back there and if not, the mouse was still hiding. She never stayed by the doghouse again.

Of course, Tuesday morning I go out to put them in the kennel, where they hang out in the morning. I had to move the doghouse back to its original place and, of course, that got them all excited but they settled down quickly … apparently no mouse this morning.

Evidently we needed a fourth dog to watch the fourth side of the doghouse but I will note that Ivy did come close to catching the little varmint once. We shall wait to see what this evening brings.

You just can’t beat life in the country.