Automatic Squirrel Dispenser

Aren't dog's memories interesting? Some things they can't remember from one minute to the next- like that they aren't supposed to find things in the trash can to eat. Other things get stuck in their brains and can't be removed.

One time, early in her life with us, Boodles went out into the backyard. She had her nose to the ground, as usual, and failed to look up. Had she done so, she would have seen a squirrel on the sunflower seed feeder. A squirrel on the feeder is not unusual, they suck down huge quantities of seeds. But usually they spring off and run across the yard as soon as the backdoor opens. This squirrel must have been either a little deafer, or a little braver than the other squirrels who hang out on the feeder. He cut his exit a little short, jumping down, and either landing on or just missing her head- it was too quick for us to see. She was totally surprised, the squirrel was fast, and lived to eat seeds another day.

She remembers this as if it happened yesterday. While in the house, she keeps a sharp eye on the feeder, positioning herself so she can see through the window over the sink. When she spies a squirrel on the feeder, a noise that would frighten a banshee rises from her- a high pitched scream that I could sell to horror movies for a tidy profit. She then runs to the back door where she stands up on her back legs to bark out the window, the banshee scream now a big dog bark. And when she goes into the yard now, the first thing she does is stand under the automatic squirrel dispenser and bark, hoping to trigger it to drop another one on her head.