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Pinky's 1st Solo Groundhog
Usually we go afield with two dogs and sometimes more.
Not this time.
On this occasion I actually expected to leave a cage-trap but brought Pinky along for the ride. Who knows? Maybe something would happen. Sure.
We'd been called to see about a groundhog suspected of living under a farm house and
Pinky got wind of it moments after getting out of the truck.
The trail led to a corner where the back porch met the main house.
Sure enough, the ‘hog was in there chirping, whistling and clacking it’s teeth at Pinky,
(In groundhog language this was the same as flipping the bird at Pinky.)
No progress could be made because this was a gap in a stone masonry foundation and just too tight for Pinky's shoulders.
Pinky got pretty worked up about the insults and rudeness of the groundhog but it’s really hard to make progress digging at stone and cinder-block masonry.
We needed another way in and tried opening the access under the porch.
It was obvious the groundhog had the run of the place and it looked promising but a thorough check showed no 'hogs currently present.
Then we tried the cellar and BINGO! Pinky found the beasts hiding place and it was on!
Pinky is pretty chubby and I’d have bet money she couldn't get into that hole but she got right in there seeking satisfaction from the offending beast. They traded insults for a moment or two but soon she was dragging the beast back out into the open where the matter quickly became a fully involved battle that took up most of the cellar.
Things were pretty busy for a moment or two before I remembered my camera was in the truck. By the time I got back with the camera the matter seemed to be under control.
Neither would let go of the other as I got a hold of both and carried them to the doorway so they could settle the matter on the lawn.
It wasn’t much longer before there was little else to do but catch one’s breath.
Pinky’s diplomacy made for a successful visit and left us with another satisfied customer, including permission to hunt whenever and whatever we want, all without a firing a shot.
Atta-girl!
Later on, I weighed the groundhog and found it to be 10-lbs, a big sow that had been raising little ‘hogs for years around there. The days of living at someone else' expense are over for that groundhog.
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