She Who Will Be Obeyed!: Chipmunk in the downspout

February 27, 2005

Chipmunk in the downspout

You all know how badly Houdini, the short dog, behaves. Well, now Whiskey, the middle dog (named whiskey because he's a licker), is also becoming a dog that makes us crazy.

Spring is slowly making its way into Leavenworth. The chipmunks have awakened from their winter semi-hibernation and are busy running around the front yard. Some of them climb up the Japanese Maple in the front of the house and go over the roof and down a tree in the backyard to find goodies there.

Apparently, when I let the boys out yesterday, Houdini and Whiskey cornered a chipmunk and he jumped into the downspout on the corner of the house. The two dogs went nuts. They somehow managed to pinch the downspout closed, so the poor chippie (that's what we call them) was stuck. I could not get the dogs to leave it alone, so I called for backup from John - alpha human.

John only had to say "Whiskey, Houdini", in a rather gruff voice - well, more like a furious, "you better get in the house right now!" voice, and he got them away, pried open the downspout and the chipmunk took off for better territory, at least I hope so!

This morning, I put the dogs out, and Whiskey races to the downspout and starts pulling it off of the house - now it is broken about halfway up and we will have to replace it. Whiskey seems convinced there is a critter in there, but I could not see or hear one - I think it is just wishful thinking on Whiskey's part. He seems to think that the downspout is a chipmunk dispenser! Let's hope he doesn't start pulling on the other downspouts, hoping for chipmunk munchies.

I don't know for sure, but I suspect that Houdini (being partly rat terrier) is the one responsible for Whiskey thinking that he can find chipmunks in the downspout. He is a bad influence on the bigger dogs.

Posted by Beth at February 27, 2005 7:39 AM

Comments

Something similar happened to me recently. My dog became CONVINCED that a small animal had gotten between the brick base of the house and the siding. She scratched at the house for hours before we dragged her in.

Posted by: MikeTheLibrarian at February 27, 2005 9:07 PM

Oh Lord. I don't know if I posted this or not. I had a small rabbit that used to scamper around our home. One early morning, about 5AM, I heard dogs out front. I walked out and these two enormous dogs had chased bunny up our downspout... and then punctured it with their big teeth and killed it. There was all this fur poking out of the downspout. I was sick... and sad... all at once.

My husband was out of town, so I called my neighbor, the one who offered to help me with the rat, and he removed it for me.

I still get sad thinking about bunny.

Posted by: Boudicca at February 27, 2005 9:23 PM

Oh, Bou, I would be so upset if that happened! I have trouble with road kill, much less a critter being killed in my yard!

Posted by: Beth Donovan at March 1, 2005 5:33 AM