I wanna be a huntn' dawg

Squirrel dog or not?

I live in a man's world - it's a hunting lodge, or at least it seems like it. I never know when I come home from work what type of hunting dog is going to be in the backyard. And I never know when I leave for work if the same hunting dogs will be in the backyard when I get home. The philosophy is that if they don't hunt or are gun shy, they go to someone who only wants a pet. That's why I've learned to not get attached to any new puppies that suddenly appear in our backyard. No matter how cute. Well, at least I try not...

The latest hunting dog - Dixie- (above) is dreaming of the day that she is old enough to go squirrel hunting with Carmichael (I call him Mikey and secretly spoil him by letting him sit in my lap and sneak him chew bone treats). Carmichael likes to show off for the camera as evidenced below. According to the hunters in the family - Carmichael is THE best squirrel hunting dog EVER.

There is one exception to the hunting dog rule - Nikki is our little "fuff fuff" dog. She is a Bichon and NOT a hunter dog, alhtough we have often joked about what a great nose she has - which every good hunter knows is one of the required characterises of a good hunting dog. She is smart as a whip and thinks she is a "people".

Last weekend I had stepped outside with my camera to try to catch a few hummingbirds when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. It was a squirrel. About the time I saw the squirrel so did Nikki. Suddenly, she got to live out her fantasy and go hunting for squirrel. She did "tree" it, but from the looks of the picture below, she hasn't quite figured out how to find it once it is in the tree...

Do you see the squirrel?

I guess she may need to take a few more lessons from Mikey.