Diesel caught a rat

[Nik]

This morning Diesel caught a rat in our backyard. It was our morning potty session and he comes trotting around the corner of the house with a rat in his mouth, head held high, tail wagging, grinning around the icky little creature, which was still alive.... The husband had to finish it off.

Husband seemed disgusted and traumatized. Diesel was beside himself with pride. Such a happy proud boy.

It used to be Candy (the cat) would kill all our rats. But Sean's brother took Candy and then Candy passed over the rainbow bridge about a month later . And now Diesel has taken it upon himself to guard the yard from critters that don't belong.

 

[7121548]

Eww. Even worse that it was still alive! Your poor husband, haha.

Every dog I've ever had has been a rat (and skunk) hunter, especially the dobies. Dozer used to try to attack rats on the street during walks, but now he's trained not to be so interested in little critters.

 

[Nik]

Eww. Even worse that it was still alive! Your poor husband, haha.

Every dog I've ever had has been a rat (and skunk) hunter, especially the dobies. Dozer used to try to attack rats on the street during walks, but now he's trained not to be so interested in little critters.

It just amazes me that he was able to catch it. They are so much smaller and can scramble into areas he can't get and our yard has plenty of escape routes.

He seems to be extra vigilant in the yard now that he caught the rat. Last night the neighbor's cat came into our yard (we didn't know it when we let him out to go potty) and he was after it in a flash. The cat was scared to death and over that fence in a heart beat.

 

[Bailey's Mom]

What is it with R-A-T-S? Kudos to Diesel (brush his teeth!) and Kudos to husband (hug him tight to get rid of the ick factor.) And may I give you a total and complete gross out at the fact that rats seem to be everywhere!

I've lived 61 years and I've only come across a rat twice in my life. Once when I was 13 and it chased me on my bike (but first I tried to run over it.) And last year when our bird feeder attracted one of the furry varmints. Yuck, Yuck, Yuck, Yuck!

Even when I lived in Toronto, I never, ever saw a rat. I'm either really lucky OR, blissfully blind until now.

Poor Diesel! I hope he doesn't catch anything....Horrible to think about....Poor Baby, protecting his Mommy and Daddy. I guess the cat taught him well. Still, yuck, yuck, yuck, and yuck!

 

[Nik]

What is it with R-A-T-S? Kudos to Diesel (brush his teeth!) and Kudos to husband (hug him tight to get rid of the ick factor.) And may I give you a total and complete gross out at the fact that rats seem to be everywhere!

I've lived 61 years and I've only come across a rat twice in my life. Once when I was 13 and it chased me on my bike (but first I tried to run over it.) And last year when our bird feeder attracted one of the furry varmints. Yuck, Yuck, Yuck, Yuck!

Even when I lived in Toronto, I never, ever saw a rat. I'm either really lucky OR, blissfully blind until now.

Poor Diesel! I hope he doesn't catch anything....Horrible to think about....Poor Baby, protecting his Mommy and Daddy. I guess the cat taught him well. Still, yuck, yuck, yuck, and yuck!

Believe it or not he didn't break it's skin at all (though we are pretty sure he broke its spine and probably all its ribs internally)! He also didn't have any cuts or scrapes that I could find so I think he should be safe from infection. He is all caught up on his vaccines as well (thank goodness).

We get a lot of rats, mice, squirrels, opossums, raccoons and birds here. We also get the occasional skunk. Luckily I have yet t to find a snake anywhere near our home. When I lived in San Diego we had lots rattle snakes and coyotes in the area in addition to all the other critters. I don't miss the rattle snakes at all. Ick. I know they are native to this area also but I just don't ever see them (knock on wood).

 

[glen]

Budcuss stamps on them to immobolise them he did it recently to a baby rabbit. The scream from the poor thing made me scream I was cutting the grass. He was proud of himself, to him anything that moves on our land is his and no trespassers allowed.

 

[Bailey's Mom]

Bailey wants to chase the rabbits, but she has great recall and I've got her back after two strides. I'm a killjoy according to my pup. I don't think she'd hurt them, but just pawing one would crush it.

Thank God no snakes! Only one poisonous one in Canada and you have to get up in the Bruce peninsula to find it, so...NO CAMPING FOR ME! Anyway...no room service.

Coyotes? Yeah, everywhere now in London and area. 15-20 years ago, that was something that was a States issue. Now all the nature walks are posted....danger from coyotes after dark. And there is a new and more powerful breed, which is genetically a mix of Eastern Grey Wolf and Coyote, called a Coywolf

Funny thing happened lately, I was talking to a lady who had recently moved to Canada with her fiance and she was telling me that after coming from a continent where everything was trying to kill you: snakes, spiders, crocodiles, great white sharks, etc., etc., etc., She thought coming to Canada would be a walk in paradise....First week, at her guy's cottage up north, she walked out the front door and right into a confrontation with a black bear. Hysterical! She told me, she thought, I've lived all this time surrounded by things that could kill me and I get taken out by a black bear in a land where almost nothing poses a danger to its residence. I got a belly laugh out of that.

There have been a lot of coyote attacks in southwestern Ontario in which dogs have been killed or seriously maimed. But, the rat thing.... The rats are out of control, and there have been several dog and cat casualties caused by poison that was put out for the critters. I just can't imagine ever getting used to such a thing. Every day, I meet someone who is buying rat poison or setting up traps and it is really alarming!

After "our rat", we stopped feeding the birds (Condo Board insisted anyway.) And I bought an electronic rat zapper. It works. I haven't had to use it again, but my brother-in-law borrowed it for a property he owns and he's up to 16 rats caught/killed. They had moved into a storage garage where he keeps plumbing stuff and he could hear them all over the place. Total Ick Factor!

Nik, I don't know how you survive with all that wildlife down in California....I'd need powerful drugs and a shotgun.

 

[Michele]

What a visual!!!

 

[DennasMom]

Good Job, Diesel!!

Denna found a rat nest in our yard - where I had removed some capstones on a cinder block wall - she watched as they ran away... then went to chase them (they eventually got away). I've sealed up the nest, so they're not getting back in there, but she's now OBSESSED with that area, and keeps wanting me to remove the capstones again, so she can "play" with the self-propelled toys that come out of that hole. <sigh> I hope she gets over this obsession soon... we let her out, and she goes to camp in front of that wall... basically curling up against it, so she doesn't miss seeing her "friends" if they happen to hop out again.

I'd be so much happier if she'd catch them and bring them to us for final dispatch... I still find it crazy they camp out in our yard as it is, but I suppose they have full access to the yard when Denna's inside sleeping at night.

 

[Nik]

Bailey wants to chase the rabbits, but she has great recall and I've got her back after two strides. I'm a killjoy according to my pup. I don't think she'd hurt them, but just pawing one would crush it.

Thank God no snakes! Only one poisonous one in Canada and you have to get up in the Bruce peninsula to find it, so...NO CAMPING FOR ME! Anyway...no room service.

Coyotes? Yeah, everywhere now in London and area. 15-20 years ago, that was something that was a States issue. Now all the nature walks are posted....danger from coyotes after dark. And there is a new and more powerful breed, which is genetically a mix of Eastern Grey Wolf and Coyote, called a Coywolf

Funny thing happened lately, I was talking to a lady who had recently moved to Canada with her fiance and she was telling me that after coming from a continent where everything was trying to kill you: snakes, spiders, crocodiles, great white sharks, etc., etc., etc., She thought coming to Canada would be a walk in paradise....First week, at her guy's cottage up north, she walked out the front door and right into a confrontation with a black bear. Hysterical! She told me, she thought, I've lived all this time surrounded by things that could kill me and I get taken out by a black bear in a land where almost nothing poses a danger to its residence. I got a belly laugh out of that.

There have been a lot of coyote attacks in southwestern Ontario in which dogs have been killed or seriously maimed. But, the rat thing.... The rats are out of control, and there have been several dog and cat casualties caused by poison that was put out for the critters. I just can't imagine ever getting used to such a thing. Every day, I meet someone who is buying rat poison or setting up traps and it is really alarming!

After "our rat", we stopped feeding the birds (Condo Board insisted anyway.) And I bought an electronic rat zapper. It works. I haven't had to use it again, but my brother-in-law borrowed it for a property he owns and he's up to 16 rats caught/killed. They had moved into a storage garage where he keeps plumbing stuff and he could hear them all over the place. Total Ick Factor!

Nik, I don't know how you survive with all that wildlife down in California....I'd need powerful drugs and a shotgun.

Oh my goodness! You crack me up! Great story about the Australian. I would love to visit Australia but I am also a little terrified of all the stuff they have there... I am not a fan of crocodiles, snakes, sharks , ginormous spiders etc. I know they are all valuable to the ecosystem but they scare me.

My step-dad and mom use the electronic rat zappers. They get a lot of rats by their house. I think that is the only kind of rat trap I could deal with and I am vehemently against poison since it poses a threat to cats, dogs and owls. We haven't resorted to rat traps yet. I guess we always relied on Candy to get the job done and now that Diesel seems cool with taking over I'm not sure we need the traps. I do keep hoping that the huge stray we have been feeding (VooDoo the cat) will start hunting the rats but she (guessing on her sex since she is way too fluffy to get a glimpse of genitals) seems content to be a lazy freeloader.

Most of our wildlife around here doesn't bug me (aside from any rats or snakes). I read that opossums are actually really good critters to have around despite their scary appearance because they eat all ticks in an area. So even though they give my heart a kick start every time I see them I still know they are doing good things for our area. The raccoons stay away ever since Diesel took residence in our yard. We used to have a regular raccoon family that would visit. They even knew how to open up our sliding glass door and we found them in our kitchen more than once raiding the cat and dog food (back when Cerberus was our only dog). The skunk only appeared in our yard once before moving on (thankfully). Skunks are absolutely adorable but I do not want to deal with the aftermath of a skunked dog.

 

[Nik]

Budcuss stamps on them to immobolise them he did it recently to a baby rabbit. The scream from the poor thing made me scream I was cutting the grass. He was proud of himself, to him anything that moves on our land is his and no trespassers allowed.

Yes! Diesel agrees with the "no trespassers allowed" motto. That would traumatize me to hear a baby rabbit scream though. I am so glad we don't get rabbits. I don't mind him killing rats but rabbits would break my heart. I also worry that one day he will catch a squirrel. I'm fond of squirrels.

 

[Nik]

Good Job, Diesel!!

Denna found a rat nest in our yard - where I had removed some capstones on a cinder block wall - she watched as they ran away... then went to chase them (they eventually got away). I've sealed up the nest, so they're not getting back in there, but she's now OBSESSED with that area, and keeps wanting me to remove the capstones again, so she can "play" with the self-propelled toys that come out of that hole. <sigh> I hope she gets over this obsession soon... we let her out, and she goes to camp in front of that wall... basically curling up against it, so she doesn't miss seeing her "friends" if they happen to hop out again.

I'd be so much happier if she'd catch them and bring them to us for final dispatch... I still find it crazy they camp out in our yard as it is, but I suppose they have full access to the yard when Denna's inside sleeping at night.

Ya I worry about whether that rat Diesel found has a nest under our wood pile (ick). But he no longer seems interested in the wood pile so I am assuming that means we are all clear of rats. I don't know what possessed that dumb rat to hang out in the wood pile long enough to get caught. Diesel was obsessing over the wood pile for days before we found out the reason why. Stupid rat was overly confident I guess.

I am proud of Diesel for immediately obeying the "drop it" command when he brought it over to us. I was a little afraid he would decide it was a great time to institute a game of tug of war (I shudder at the thought).

I'm also glad that Diesel considers the rats invaders. Cerberus our gentle angel considered them buddies. I still remember the time I looked out our back door and saw Cerberus happily watching a rat perching on his water bowl and drinking from it. He was totally calm and content to share whatever he had with his new buddy the rat and I should mention he was literally sitting inches from it. It made me think this wasn't the first time the rat had visited with Cerberus because it clearly didn't see him as any sort of threat. I was completely horrified. And what rat doesn't see a 75 lb dog as a threat? But, that was my Cerberus friend to all creatures on earth.

 

[Jakesmum]

Good job Diesel for keeping the yard critter free! I am so thankful that we have no rats here! In Alberta we actually have a team dedicated to keeping the province rat free. There are rattle snakes, but only in the southern and eastern part of the province where it's more desert land so I don't ever have to deal with them. I don't think I could ever live somewhere that has snakes, that is my worst phobia. We do get skunks, coyotes, cougars, moose, bobcats and the occasional bear wandering into the city which tend to cause a problem. There's been a big problem this year with coyote attacks so everyone is on guard with their furbabies and small children. My mom lives in the country and actually had one of her mini donkeys killed by a coyote or wolf pack just a couple of weeks ago.

Jake tends to try to make friends with anything feathered or furry that comes across his path, one year it was the skunk who took up residence next door, last weekend it was my mom's chickens (they for some reason don't like to be snoofled by a big dog).

 

[Nik]

Good job Diesel for keeping the yard critter free! I am so thankful that we have no rats here! In Alberta we actually have a team dedicated to keeping the province rat free. There are rattle snakes, but only in the southern and eastern part of the province where it's more desert land so I don't ever have to deal with them. I don't think I could ever live somewhere that has snakes, that is my worst phobia. We do get skunks, coyotes, cougars, moose, bobcats and the occasional bear wandering into the city which tend to cause a problem. There's been a big problem this year with coyote attacks so everyone is on guard with their furbabies and small children. My mom lives in the country and actually had one of her mini donkeys killed by a coyote or wolf pack just a couple of weeks ago.

Jake tends to try to make friends with anything feathered or furry that comes across his path, one year it was the skunk who took up residence next door, last weekend it was my mom's chickens (they for some reason don't like to be snoofled by a big dog).

Oh yes coyotes were a huge problem when I lived in San Diego. They were snatching cats and smaller dogs all the time and one day when I got home there was a huge coyote just standing in the driveway and staring me down in my car. I couldn't get out of the car and it wouldn't leave. I think I eventually gave up and drove to a restaurant or something to give it time to move on. lol

I am jealous of your moose! I love moose. We vacationed for a few days in New Hampshire in the mountains once and we got to see some moose in person. Beautiful animals. I kept hoping to spot a bear also but that did not happen. The husband thought I was insane for wanting to spot a bear. lol

The husband and I often feel like we are meant to live further north (when we aren't fantasizing about living in Bavaria that is). If we ever navigate the practicalities of a move (equal or better employment, dogs coming with, etc) I have no doubt we will be moving out of my lifelong home of California and if we ever do make that move I will miss everything except for the traffic, the crowds and the cost of housing.

Oh also I am right there with you on the snake phobia. I am definitely a mammalist (is that a thing?) .

 

[7121548]

One of my boss's little dogs got eaten by a coyote, and the other one was attacked and needed stitches all over her body. So sad. I've actually seen a few coyotes up close (like less than 10' away!) in San Francisco while walking Dozer recently. They ran away when they saw us though.

 

[Bailey's Mom]

It's amazing how much wildlife has recently moved into the city, and it has presented problems, especially when it is large animals. A couple of years ago a black bear showed up in the west side of the city, right near a school that would be letting out in a few hours. The Ministry no longer has a presence in southwestern Ontario, so there are no bear traps or tranquilizer guns and city police were left with no options. One dead bear! Not long after that, a Moose was spotted just outside a little town on the edge of London. Residents were warned about keeping a sharp eye out for the moose because they can be very unpredictable and very dangerous. Eventually someone killed it with their vehicle...1 dead Moose...1 dead truck, one presumes, though, they only found the moose's body from what I heard.

About six years ago, at dusk, I saw a large boar running through a farmer's field with a smaller (female?) running behind it. These are not supposed to be in Ontario, but, I understand from a hunter I talked to that it's a shoot on sight situation, so....I'm obviously not the only one who has seen this phantom. And the coyotes are everywhere. They totally destroyed the duck and geese nesting area in a stream not far from my house and they were running through the neighbourhood looking for other four-legged snacks. Bailey went absolutely out-of-her mind nuts one night because of these creatures outside of our fence. She has never done that or behaved like that again.

10 years ago it was cougar sightings along the river...No Kidding! And lots of experts weighed in on deer kills and scat and tracks, but no one came up with an especially large kitty on film, all I know is it ruined my nature walks along the river.

And Now, we're being invaded by Rats and Mice and other icky things. This isn't pioneer days, why are we being inundated with undesirable critters with teeth and claws? Now you have to know how to "haze" a coyote, just to go for a walk in the woods. Unbelievable!

 

[Nik]

It's amazing how much wildlife has recently moved into the city, and it has presented problems, especially when it is large animals. A couple of years ago a black bear showed up in the west side of the city, right near a school that would be letting out in a few hours. The Ministry no longer has a presence in southwestern Ontario, so there are no bear traps or tranquilizer guns and city police were left with no options. One dead bear! Not long after that, a Moose was spotted just outside a little town on the edge of London. Residents were warned about keeping a sharp eye out for the moose because they can be very unpredictable and very dangerous. Eventually someone killed it with their vehicle...1 dead Moose...1 dead truck, one presumes, though, they only found the moose's body from what I heard.

About six years ago, at dusk, I saw a large boar running through a farmer's field with a smaller (female?) running behind it. These are not supposed to be in Ontario, but, I understand from a hunter I talked to that it's a shoot on sight situation, so....I'm obviously not the only one who has seen this phantom. And the coyotes are everywhere. They totally destroyed the duck and geese nesting area in a stream not far from my house and they were running through the neighbourhood looking for other four-legged snacks. Bailey went absolutely out-of-her mind nuts one night because of these creatures outside of our fence. She has never done that or behaved like that again.

10 years ago it was cougar sightings along the river...No Kidding! And lots of experts weighed in on deer kills and scat and tracks, but no one came up with an especially large kitty on film, all I know is it ruined my nature walks along the river.

And Now, we're being invaded by Rats and Mice and other icky things. This isn't pioneer days, why are we being inundated with undesirable critters with teeth and claws? Now you have to know how to "haze" a coyote, just to go for a walk in the woods. Unbelievable!

I'm not sure about in your area but in my area the reason we are getting so much wildlife in the city is because we have taken over their habitat. We are overpopulating with people and over building and taking their homes away. Add to that a multi year drought and they are venturing further and further out to find water.

It always breaks my heart when I hear about a large predator that has been killed be it bear, cougar etc. We have so few large preditors left and have killed off so many of them that I feel every loss. You would have thought with the bear at the school that they could have kept the kids indoors until the bear wandered on. What a shame.

 

[Smokeycat]

Good job Diesel for keeping the yard critter free! I am so thankful that we have no rats here! In Alberta we actually have a team dedicated to keeping the province rat free. There are rattle snakes, but only in the southern and eastern part of the province where it's more desert land so I don't ever have to deal with them. I don't think I could ever live somewhere that has snakes, that is my worst phobia. We do get skunks, coyotes, cougars, moose, bobcats and the occasional bear wandering into the city which tend to cause a problem. There's been a big problem this year with coyote attacks so everyone is on guard with their furbabies and small children. My mom lives in the country and actually had one of her mini donkeys killed by a coyote or wolf pack just a couple of weeks ago.

Jake tends to try to make friends with anything feathered or furry that comes across his path, one year it was the skunk who took up residence next door, last weekend it was my mom's chickens (they for some reason don't like to be snoofled by a big dog).

Rattle snakes can be an issue here. The biggest problem being the heat lately they are coming out at night so they are harder to spot. Rattlers are also protected so any damage to them or their dens can be expensive. To honest though I'll gladly take knowing rattlesnake territories and habits instead of dealing with rats.

 

[Jakesmum]

Rattle snakes can be an issue here. The biggest problem being the heat lately they are coming out at night so they are harder to spot. Rattlers are also protected so any damage to them or their dens can be expensive. To honest though I'll gladly take knowing rattlesnake territories and habits instead of dealing with rats.

That just gives me chills! You can keep the rattle snakes down there! I freak out enough just seeing a garter snake down near the river, I would completely lose it if there were rattlers around here, I'm sure that there is probably the occasional one around given the heat we are experiencing, but I'll live in my blissful world of thinking there are none around