[Dailydrool] Rat Attack!

[Linda H]

Dewey thinks he is a rat terrier. He finds a rodent hole, he will dig it up, and if he finds a nest, well, it is snack time. He seems especially to have it in for musk rats. 

Yesterday, we were walking around the pond behind my mother's senior living place. The shore line is a wreck, courtesy of musk rats. Last year, there was a big rat home out in the pond. While I have not seen adult rats, I have seen the swirl of mud as they quickly take off into the pond. They are there.

Dewey loves to go into drainage culverts. So what if it gets darker and darker, as he goes farther under the land? Yesterday, he got in trouble. I heard him splashing in there, then heard a big, startled, GRRFFF. Not good. I really don't want to have to crawl in there and rescue him! He came splashing back out, blood splattered on his face. DEFINITELY not good! Whose blood was it??? I looked  him over, and found what looked like two minor wounds on the side of his muzzle. Dewey kept looking back into that pipe, like he wanted to go back in there, and finish what he started! No way, kiddo. Let's move on. 

After splashing through the ponds some more, there was no longer any blood on his face. Just the two small wounds. They were tender to my touch. But just a little. I took him home, cleaned him up, and decided to just keep an eye on him. Keep watch for signs of infection.  

He was rather subdued for the rest of the day. I think the encounter scared him. The rat (I assume it was a musk rat) must have seen him coming, but Dewey could not see anything in the dark tunnel. There was enough weed growth at the other end to block most light from that end. But I imagine he was back lit quite well.

Today, there is no sign of any infection. Just minor surface wounds. And he was back to digging out rodent holes!

Linda and Dewey (I coulda took him if you hadn't pulled me off!)

Herman House
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