A little mouse colony has decided that my kennel is Mecca for Mice. On the rare occasion a mouse does come into the kennel it usually does not stay long. It leaves either of its own accord or heads home to Jesus via sighthound or cat. But this group of mice were smarter than average and they decided that warm rooms, snuggly dog beds, dove food and stray kibble made for a nice place to spend the cold winter nights. The cold actually made their odds better since Sigh, my faithful mouse eradicating cat was in his kennel basking under the heat lamp during the below zero weather. I don't know exactly how many were in the nasty rodent pack but at least 3. I know this because I know the details of their demise...or almost demise.

The first to go was the fool who let Tava run up on it and scoop it up and take it into her crate with her. At first I was in hot pursuit of Tava but as I neared her crate I started to lose heart. What if she didn't kill the beast? What if it was only wounded? What if she had already swallowed it? A million "what if'"s run through your head at those moments. Even now I am shuttering at the mere thought of the experience. Thankfully when I finally got up the nerve to look, the mouse was indeed dead bit neatly through but not mauled or smeared around. Removing Tava from the crate I could take out the bed, mouse and all and dump said mouse into the garbage and the bed into a washer of bleach.

The second mouse was the stuff of nightmares. I was cleaning the kennel, when I was done the shop vac was full. I was toting the bottom out to dump and then...I saw an awful little flash of movement. Stifling a scream I ran to the garbage and dumped, lint, dog hair, dirt and possible mouse into the garbage and slammed the lid shut. I didn't even want to look. I figured if I didn't see it for sure then I could convince myself it didn't exist. That night was garbage night. Before I knew it, Darrin had the garbage sitting down at its pick up spot and the next morning it was a done deal. The vacuum mouse was gone. I dragged the garbage can rattling and bouncing up the driveway, then went about my business. A couple of days later I found another bit through dead mouse in the kennel. A quick sweep of my broom and it was in the dust pan and I headed to the garbage. When I yanked the lid open I saw that awful scurry. Could it be vacuum mouse managed to survive the garbage being emptied?!! Cringing, I was too curious and had to look. Yep there it was hunkered down next to a piece of newspaper that had stuck to the bottom. UGH!!! Now what? I can't let the stupid thing starve in there for a whole week and I certainly was not brave enough to kill it. I vetoed the notion of putting Sigh in there to kill the mouse. I can't imagine he would forgive me for "throwing him in the garbage" no matter the reason. So I did the only thing a lion heart like myself can do, I knocked the garbage can over and ran like hell. When I went back to pick it up the can several hours later the vacuum mouse was gone.

The mouse problem seems to be back in balance again. I don't see them or smell them and the cat is out and putting on weight.