George Shirley wrote:

> Kathleen wrote:
>
>> Sky wrote:
>>
>>> modom (palindrome guy) wrote:
>>>
>>>> Mice.
>>>>
>>>> It's become modom's house o' mouse. Became such in a matter of a
>>>> couple of days. Mouseless to mouse-o-rama in not more than 48 hours.
>>>>
>>>> D and I hauled all the drygoods and other comestibles out of the
>>>> pantry yesterday to clean off the shelves and better seal the food
>>>> away from pests. Everything is in plastic containers.
>>>>
>>>> Today I went out to buy mouse traps. Went to the local hardware
>>>> store. Went to Wal Mart. Went to another local store. Ran out of
>>>> stores.
>>>>
>>>> There are no mouse traps in Cow Hill. They're all sold. A nice old
>>>> geezer stocking the shelves at the local "hardware and feed" place
>>>> told me he can't keep them. Puts 'em out, and they're gone. He also
>>>> said mice ate the wiring around his car's engine.
>>>>
>>>> Appears we have ourselves a plague.
>>>>
>>>> I wonder if they'll eat the Tupperware?
>>>> --
>>>>
>>>> modom
>>>> ** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Get a cat or two? Perhaps that might help? Just a suggestion <g>.
>>
>>
>> We are currently dealing with our annual autumn mouse invasion. In
>> addition to traps all over the place, you'd think the JRT might be of
>> some use. But no. He set off a trap in the pantry a couple of years
>> back and now associates the smell of rodents with nasty things that go
>> SNAP.
>>
>> Weekend before last I was wakened by a clanking sound. I remember
>> being annoyed that somebody had left the dishwasher open and one of
>> the dogs was licking the dirty dishes. Until I took inventory and
>> realized that all three of the dogs were already in bed with me.
>>
>> I ventured down the hall and found one of the biggest mice I've ever
>> seen with its front leg caught in one of the Black Cat mouse traps in
>> the pantry. The clanking I'd heard was the mouse dragging the damned
>> trap around.
>>
>> While I was pondering what to do about the not-mortally-wounded rodent
>> another mouse ran over my foot and climbed the shelves on the inside
>> of the pantry door.
>>
>> I admit it. I screamed. Not long, and not loud, and most of the
>> noise came out through my nose when I clamped my hand over my mouth.
>> Even so, it woke my 13 year-old son, who came on the run to see what
>> the excitement was about. I pointed out the mouse on the spice rack
>> and he ran to get his airsoft BB gun.
>>
>> Meanwhile, the JRT has fled the scene and is peeking around the
>> corner, waiting for something to go SNAP, the male BC is looking for a
>> reason to bite the JRT, and the female border collie is conducting a
>> short-range olfactory inspection of the trapped rodent. She's got her
>> nose pressed right up against the thing and is making noises like
>> she's trying to snort him like a line of colombian flake.
>>
>> Dear son arrives with the BB gun and squeezes off a shot that knocks
>> the mouse off the shelf and sends it running for shelter on the
>> floor. A second shot ricochets off a bottle of vietnamese cinnamon
>> and stings me on the leg. The JRT's prey drive is finally triggered
>> and he launches himself at the mouse, and the male BC, in full-on fun
>> police mode, lunges at the terrier.
>>
>> In the confusion, that mouse escapes unscathed while I'm breaking up
>> the dog fight. Meanwhile, the female BC has picked up the trap and
>> the trapped mouse and is heading down the hall to my bedroom to
>> conduct her experiments in private.
>>
>> I catch up with her before she makes it onto the bed and I confiscate
>> trap and the still live rodent.
>>
>> So now what? How am I supposed to kill this thing? I try dropping
>> him, trap and all, in the toilet to try to drown him but he's a big
>> mouse and only pinned by one leg so he's able to tread water and keep
>> his nose above the surface. So I find a tall pitcher, fill it with
>> water and drop him in there. Better. He's submerged. I set the
>> pitcher on the floor, and, unwilling to watch him drown, I retreat to
>> the kitchen.
>>
>> Minutes later, to my absolute horror, I hear sloshing and splashing.
>> I slink down the hall, afraid I've wandered into some sort of Twilight
>> Zone experience only to find the female BC, carrying the trap and by
>> now thoroughly drowned rodent, on her way down the hall to the
>> bedroom. When I insist, she relinquishes her prize and I carry it back
>> to the bathroom where she watches as I open the trap and dump the dead
>> mouse into the toilet. Surf's up, little dude.
>>
> I'm amazed by the shenanigans to get rid of a few rodents. For only
> $100.00 a day plus meals, lodging, and travel, I will rent out Tilly
> Dawg, the famous Rat Terrier. Tilly was only four months old when she
> presented me with a full grown field rat she caught out by the
> greenhouse. She got lots of loving and a couple of treats and patrols
> the property on a routine basis now. Since that time she has caught two
> squirrels and nearly got a feral cat. The cat escaped by climbing a tree
> and Tilly tried to give chase but couldn't get up more than a couple of
> feet. Right now she's trying to tree an anole lizard that got in the
> house somehow and I'm discouraging that act as we like our bug-eaters.

Cooper taught the BCs to hunt rabbits and to date, his kills outnumber
theirs by around 10 to one. He also chased a tree bunnie (squirrel)
nearly 15 feet up a tree before falling back in a Wile E. Coyote moment
that occurred when he suddenly looked down.
>
> Of course you will have to sign a waiver that we are not responsible for
> any damage caused by a terrier tearing around trying to get a rodent.
> Her real, registered name is Tilly Runamok and is hard to control once
> the chase starts.

Sounds good. Only you'll have to sign a waiver as well, relinquishing
custody of Tilly if she decides to sign on as a flyball dog and earthdog
extraordinaire.

Tilly sounds like an awesome little dog. You should look into local
earthdog events.