Even Lazy Dogs Have Their Day

Anyone who knows our sweet Electra knows that she is, quite possibly, the laziest dog on the planet.

No joke people.

Unless it’s feeding time, you can probably find Electra snoozing on the couch, the chair, the floor, the bed, the porch, someone’s lap, or any place else that’s halfway comfortable.

Ever since moving into the new house though, Electra has spent far less time sleeping and far more time exploring our big new yard. And ever since the last snow melted and and the temperatures continued to rise, she has taken to tracking every critter that happens to find its way into our yard. She’s been tracking so much lately, that we’ve sorta begun to tune out her whining and yipping when she’s hot on the trail.

Today was no different.

Electra had been outside most of the morning and afternoon, alternating between sunning herself in the yard and sniffing her way through the bushes. I heard her start tracking shortly after I put Cadence down for her nap, but didn’t think much of it. Sometime later, it grew quiet again. Then, when I was talking on the phone to Momma Dawn, I looked outside and saw this…

Electra has never been much of a digger. If she catches an interesting scent on the other side of the fence, she might halfheartedly paw at the ground for a minute or two, but she’s just never really motivated enough to to dig more than a divet. I knew something must have gotten into her today, because by the time I slipped on a pair of shoes and made it outside to investigate, she’d managed to dig several large and deep holes in the front lawn around the lilac bush.

I peered into the holes, but couldn’t see anything, so I went over and sat on the porch while I continued to talk to Momma Dawn. Several minutes passed before I finally realized what Electra was up to.

I watched as she stuck her head down deep in one of the holes, and then jerked it back out again, flinging a garter snake out into the yard. She moved in close to get a good sniff, and the snake lunged at her face.

Then the battle was on…

Finally, when it appeared Mr. Snake had been defeated, Electra moseyed off to continue her afternoon rounds. But later when Steven got home and went out to survey the damage, the snake was nowhere to be found. Guess he must have been playing dead. I hope he finds himself a better hiding place, because now we know that Electra can find him even four feet underground.

Here’s to my hound dog. Good hunting ol’ girl. 🙂