Dino the wonder dog and the most useless cats

I was going to share a Wildlife Wednesday post today, but ended up dealing with other wildlife.

I suppose I shouldn't bash my four cats completely in this post, as Alice initially discovered our problem last week when she spent several days studying part of a wall in my house. Hubby thought she must be hearing something, but I claimed she was either crazy or it was just our ghost. Until Sunday when I heard distinct scratching coming from inside that wall. Oh, nuts, I thought, there is something - or someone - in that wall.

Monday, Hubby and I spent a rare quiet day off of work until he woke me up from a mid-day nap.

"I found what was in the wall." While he was in the basement, he watched a tiny mole scampered back and forth three times.

I went outside and called in the three outside cats. The two boys, Ches and Fred, came running, but Betty remained typically aloof. She knew something must be up. Needless to say, none of them seemed at all interested in looking for any type of prey in the basement or anywhere else in the house. They were more than happy to curl up on the couch and sleep - the couch I had hoped to still be napping on.

We put mouse traps on the store slip.

When I got home from a meeting last night, I went downstairs to get something from the freezer for a late supper. Dino and Alice had found something of interest near the cat food bin. Sure enough, there was the little mole nibbling on spilled catfood crumbs. Dino took chase, while Alice stepped back in confusion. To her credit she only weighs a couple pounds and surely figured that the dog had this covered. The mole scooted under the basement stairs.

I sighed, hoping this wouldn't be a long night. How wrong I was.

A short time later, while in the living room beginning to write that Wildlife Wednesday blog, something scurried through my peripheral vision. Dang, the rodent had made his way upstairs already. Dino however was on it.

Where is that little mole?

Keep looking for it, Dino.

Betty cannot believe that I think she should go after that rodent.

Fred and Alice are mildly curious, but not about to jump into action.

When the mole finally came out from hiding, Dino grabbed it and flung it in that direction. It wasn't moving much when I set the bucket over the top of it.

Oh, sure now Ches shows up. Useless cat!

Dino wouldn't leave his prey until Daddy got home.

Good thing I'm married to an employee of the department of corrections. Even though he got home at 11:00 pm after a 16 hour shift, he was willing to evict the critter from the house.

I thought that Dino had only stunned the rodent, but when Hubby flung it out into the yard, he deemed it deader than a doornail. Teamwork, that's all I can say.