Squirrel!

Molly went for a short walk during lunch yesterday. As we were waking down the sidewalk in a cul-de-sac, she suddenly stopped and pointed, tugging hard on the leash. I followed her line of sight, and across the way there was...

A squirrel!

Boy was she excited. I wish I had a video of her behavior to share. She looked at me questioningly, wanting permission to give chase. After confirming there was no traffic as far as I could see, no other people or scary dogs, and nothing else obviously harmful, I looked at her mischievously and said, "Go get it!" I let go of the leash, and she was off!

That poor squirrel probably was telling its kids how it out-smarted a big, hairy beast today. There was a very small, dry stream bed with a bunch of trees around it. Molly chased the squirrel to the edge of the stream, and it darted behind a tree. From there it crossed the stream, then ran up a tree. Poor Molly lost it when it went behind the first tree, since she tracks visually. She ran up to the tree and started trying to figure out where it went in the branches.

When I reclaimed her, she was pumped, and at first didn't want to resume walking. It was so comical watching her walk a few paces, freeze, and whip her head about, tracking for motion, trying to find the squirrel again. Maybe in time we'll see enough squirrels that she'll learn the word for them.