There are not any pictures with today’s post for two reasons: 1) I didn’t have a camera with me to get pictures of the cool stuff, and; 2) nobody wants to see pictures of the rest of the stuff discussed in today’s post.

I guess it’s time for another update on how Pip is doing on her new found hobby of guarding the pumpkin patch. Since the last update, she’s managed to compile quite the list:

1 raccoon, treed;
1 raccoon, dried;
1 deer, cornered;
4 rabbits, caught;
3 birds, caught;
1 big fat mole, caught;
1 wood chuck, treed;
An unknown number of field mice, caught;

Not shabby, if you consider this is only the stuff we’ve been around to see during the last 10 days. Who knows what she’s caught while we’re not around. The only real threats left to the pumpkin plants at this point are one or two remaining rabbits. They’re a lot more cautious now.

The deer caught us a bit by surprise. Last Saturday, Potato Boy and Mom woke up early to give Pip a bath so she’d be clean for her visit to the vet. I don’t think Pip minded the vet. He has a big-old-fat-cat that sleeps on the counter most of the time. Pip enjoyed a few minutes of harassing the cat while waiting for her turn. But, as soon as she got home it was off the leash, to the timber, and into the creek bottom mud. She was gone for about 10 minutes before she started in on her “I found something” bark. After 10 or 15 minutes of that I figured I’d better go check it out. I should have grabbed a camera. After stumbling through the undergrowth I finally found my way to the creek bottom. Pip was standing 5 feet from a doe and barking manically. She’d approach the deer and it’d back off. Then the deer would drop her head and advance on Pip. Pip would back off. I watched the game for about 2 or 3 minutes before I figured out the deer was trying to lure Pip out of the timber. She must have had a fawn hidden near by.

The rest of the list wasn’t nearly as entertaining. The dried raccoon carcass was even a little nasty – what threat did a half mummified raccoon pose to the pumpkin patch? And apparently, once Pip trees something she losses interest quickly. Though, I would like to see how she manages to catch the birds.

Like I said earlier… no camera when I needed one and when I had one, it was nothing you’d want a picture of.