Ballard Street by Jerry Van Amerongen for March 01, 2019

Is he talking about squirrels or tails?

Oh man! This is a mind-bending leap in consciousness! What’s next, setting a decoy to chase them and then having the rest waiting behind the tree to jump out all of a sudden??? That squirrel is gonna leave a brown trail as he tries to get away!

Sounds like sage advice. Pick your spots to maximize your chances of success. Lull them into a false sense of security, then pounce!

BALLARD STREET DOGS CAN TALK!!!

Ol Yeller is teaching “How not to look Stupid Chasing a Cat” at the Canine Community College (CCC).

Apparently, Scooter isn’t the highest ace in the pack.

It’s like Farside cows that play poker when you’re not watching.

I knew there was something going on at the off-leash park.

They’re up to something. And no good can come of it.

Most dogs run directly at whatever it is they want to chase. A friend’s dog had the concept of interception mastered. She’d approach a groundhog from the side, and when the chuck bolted, she’d head it off at the burrow entrance.

Disclaimer: no woodchucks were harmed in telling this story. The dog was a Chihuahua mix, didn’t weigh much more than the groundhog, and could only have killed one if armed with a shotgun. She did like scaring the bejeezus out of them, though.

I explained this concept to my Lab several times. “You are 50 feet from the squirrel. He is never more than 5 feet from the tree. You will NEVER catch the squirrel.” He still wants to try.

And remember bitds have VTOL capabilities so mind that in your approach.

Hey! Susan! What’s up?

I don’t like the looks of that.

One on one, i’m a match for any of those mutts in any wind sprints. It’s when they going up on ya that ya have ta worry.

For the time being, i’m gonna move into my rose garden annex.

This is the sidewalk at the intersection of Ballard St and Damascus Rd. and the dogs are having an epiphany.

I had a dog that would chase squirrels. He would wait by the sliding glass door until we would open i9t for him. He would race out, chase the squirrel up the tree, and then come prancing back to the house. One time though, he made it halfway back to the house, did an 180, and chased after squirrel that had come down the tree. He almost caught the little rodent.

Doomed to failure on several counts.. If.. there are trees they will deserve to be.. checked out.. if there is a squirrel about it becomes a major conflict and dogs can not.. multitask.

In my youth… I used to shoot squirrels for their fur.. (50 cents apiece) and my black lab would retrieve them as they fell from a tree. One time the squirrel was not quite dead enough and bit my dogs tongue.. Took weeks before he would retrieve again..

Not the fence around the trees. The squirrels have to jump the fence first. Not that this is a problem. Just saying.