My half Papillon half Dachshund mix Molly never ceases to amaze me. She is a connoisseur of the finer things in life such as dog treats and whatever daddy is eating. She is actually somewhat picky in what treats she will eat and prefers the more expensive ones. When I get home from work after the obligatory joyful welcome and walk she has taken to telling me when it is time for me to eat, meaning that she will get to eat something from my plate. Our Papillon puppy Minnie likes to drink my coffee, beer and Judy’s wine.
Molly was a rescue dog. She was found along NC Highway 24 in 2001 when she was about 6 months old and we ended up with her when she proved too much for her rescuer. Molly has always had a thing for the outdoors and the hunt. She has chased and caused a number of birds, chases the deer that roam near the Island Hermitage and has nearly caught one more than once. I always wonder how I will explain that my 15 pound dog took down a deer.
However Molly also is into exotic foods. I am sure that when I am gone she watches those exotic or extreme food shows on the Food or Travel Channel. Among her targets are flies and other assorted bugs but she especially relishes Dragonflies and now for the first time that I have witnessed a Butterfly. Minnie has taken this up at home in Virginia stalking flies on the French doors.
Judy and I had been out and about this morning and when we came home this afternoon it was time for the obligatory joyful greeting and walk by both dogs since Judy and Minnie came down for the weekend. I had the task of walking them and things began to happen. When we pulled into the driveway there were deer in the front yard. There were also birds and butterflies. Molly being the Uber-Alpha dog that she is led the way looking for the deer, which had by then wandered to the back of the house with Minnie following, at 7 months of age still learning the ropes.
As we started down the street I spied a flock of what appear to be Palamedes Swallowtail Butterflies. I have no idea if that is the correct terminology for a bunch of Butterflies but it seems right to me. Molly also spied the flock and took off on the retractable leash like a bat out of hell. She missed the first attempt but as the flock began its evasion attempt Molly grabbed one. If butterfly grabbing was an Olympic event she would have received the maximum score for both technical merit and artistic achievement. The grab was perfect and the unfortunate Butterfly found its body in the middle of Molly’s mouth with its wings hanging equally out the side of her mouth.
It was hard to know what to do. One thing I do know is that there are some things that one does not attempt to remove from Molly’s jaws is freshly acquired game, be it wild or store bought. Molly is a tad bit food aggressive compulsive. I couldn’t help but laugh and grab a couple of pictures with my phone. It seemed that though she was quite proud of catching it she didn’t quite know what to do with it. We walked back to the house with Judy standing in the driveway.
I called out to her “I don’t know quite what to do about this” and when she saw the wings protruding from Molly’s mouth she started laughing hard.
After a few minutes of stalemate Molly dropped the unlucky creature which was still alive, albeit covered in dog slobber. It lay on the driveway and when Judy went back later to check on it it was gone. I presume that it either recovered or was eaten by a bird. As we walked back to the house Molly spotted the deer in the woods behind the house and drove them off, the close of a successful mission.
Molly is happy with herself. She can put another symbol for a kill wherever she keeps her display of kills and we can go back and wonder what she will get next and when Minnie begins to learn the experience of hunting.
It should be fun.
Peace
Padre Steve+ `
The Inglorius Padre Steve's World 