I know what this picture looks like. It looks like my dog is waiting at the front door to see if someone is coming.
What is it really, you ask? It's a totally freaking intense episode of Wild Kingdom. And my dog is the predatory creature. The victim?
The most annoying cricket on the planet.
Seriously. I have been about to lose my mind during the night while hearing the distant sounds of a cricket chirping in my head. I was starting to wonder if it was just me... don't they say the symptoms of an aneurysm are tasting metal or smelling burnt toast or something? (Or is that a stroke? Or am I just making that up?) Regardless... I was starting to wonder if hearing imaginary cricket sounds was the symptom of something until my dog CORNERED THE PREY.
For how much Riley loves marking his territory, the cricket was just lucky he didn't pee on it. But apparently his antidepressants are working because growling at the dangerous cricket creature seemed to be enough for him.
I got a tissue and slowly snuck up behind Riley so as not to startle the cricket, seeing as my reflexes aren't as fast as they used to be. But by the time I got there the cricket was begging me to put it out of its misery and get it away from the growling white creature ... so I obliged and flushed the little sucker.
And then, I did the only reasonable thing I could do. I did my own celebratory version of Mary Katherine Gallagher's "Supah Star" without the deep lunge, because joy does not begin to adequately describe the feeling of cricket silence:
Now, if it would have been as cute as this crazy-disney-looking-cartoon-creature I took a photo of at mom and dad's a few years ago I might have spared its life. But to be honest, I think this big of a prey might have been out of Riley's league anyway. :)
My cat does the same thing with the little lizards on our lani (screened in pool deck in Florida). He terrorizes them just to play with them and then brings them in the house to "present" them to me. YUK
ReplyDeleteAnyway, have been reading your blog for a few weeks and it makes me miss Iowa. Grew up in Waverly and lived in CF for a few years. My parents still live in Waverly and we were back this summer and I really miss the Iowa summers.
I have tried emailing you a couple of times....what kind of dog is Riley? He is adorable!
ReplyDeleteActually the first photo looked just like one I have of my little Ralph. He knew his daddy was on the other side of the door so he kept waiting for him to open it. Riley is a doll.
ReplyDeleteOh I can totally relate. Cricket noise can drive a person insane. We were at a campsite with my dh and his family many years ago, turning in for the night in the little camper. Yep a very loud cricket. Wanted him to go in search of it - outside - and get rid of it. He thought I was kidding. Ummm... no honey....lol
ReplyDeleteWhat an adorable dog. Is he a bichon? We have a bichon we adore, so little white dogs always get my attention! =)
ReplyDeleteYou're too funny, Supah Stah! I love the picture of the grasshopper. Are you sure you didn't Photoshop that thing?
ReplyDeleteI got out of bed and found the cricket that was keeping me awake until 2AM. I grabbed a shoe and was kneeling on the floor and whacking the thing repeatedly when my dh woke up and wondered if I had lost my mind, whacking the floor like that.
ReplyDeleteWe're from IA too. NW corner.