Ollie the mouser
 

Well Ollie caught and killed a mouse! I was putting on my pjs when my mom came running into my room to tell me Ollie had a mouse. So out I ran and she lifted the chair while I reached under and grabbed Ollie who was holding it in his mouth with the tail hanging out. I was carrying him to the kitchen to set him on the counter to take it out of his mouth (ewww yuck) when it fell out on the way to the kitchen thank god! Mom grabbed it and threw it in the trash. Ugh can’t get the sight of my baby boy with a mouse tail hanging out of his mouth.

LMBO, Congratulations Ollie.

My Matese on her first kill had a glazed look on her face like she couldn't believe she finally caught her prey, she was under the deck (her hunting grounds) all I could see was a tail hanging out, I screamed to drop it, thankfully she did. A sight I still have not forgotten lol.

My dad is all excited and telling me I should have given him a treat.

I hated to take the prize away from my girl, but we really can't encourage or reward them for a kill. One day they could go after something that could cause them much harm.
The steps that lead off my deck is gated, the steps post is appox. 3 1/2 away from my house (not attached to house). 3 years ago 4AM I let Cody out to potty there was a young opossum just starting to squeeze through that opening, we all saw each other at the same time and the opossum fled, I was able to snatch Cody up before he could reach that area which was just a few feet from the house door. How cute this lil opossum was, I couldn't get that picture out of my head all day.
That night my motion light at the front of the house came on, I looked out to see what had activated it, there on the trash pail that cute mid size opossum was sitting on the pail trying to pry the lid up. I got my banging pots to scare it off, when I opened the door the opossum got scared, opened it's mouth and I saw those teeth, not a cute lil opossum any more. Had that opossum gotten on the deck that morning I let Cody out it would have shredded my dog. So praising, rewarding for a kill, not a good idea.

Back when we were at the old house and it was just Callie she went out for her last potty of the night and there was a opossum in the yard. It stood still and Callie was very interested in it but would only get maybe three feet from it no closer and circle it. It was not fun trying to get her inside. It was a really long time ago but I had people on here telling me I was terrible to let my dog out in our fenced in yard. It was crazy.

You're very lucky Callie didn't go after that opossum, Cody would.

To see a photo of opossum's teeth is nothing like seeing it in person 1 1/2 feet away, it will make your heart skip a beat.

Cody does not use the yard for potty when it's dark, he uses the deck with me and my bat. I have seen coyotes 7 miles from my house, I take precautions and pray I never have to use that bat.

Luckily we don’t have coyotes. Callie seems to have a very small prey drive unlike her siblings. It was doing that terrible hissing noise.

When we lived in NY we had opposums, and they were known to carry rabies. Vaccinated or not, none of my yorkies were a matrch for that!

Matese and I have a matched pair in the way of their prey drive--relentless, determined, focused---oh, let's face it, they're both obsessive in their pursuit of little fast critters! If she thinks a chipmunk has dashed under it (ground level) Piper will do her rapid-fire-terrier-trot around and around our huge deck without stopping for a half hour easy. I always have to intercede and bring her in/off deck. And even then she'll paw at sliding door sure that she has seen and can get that waskely varmint!! Below is Piper "tree-ing" a squirrel...little huntress!!

LMBO that photo could be of Cody, he does the same thing, many times he will leap at the tree wanting to climb it lol. I swear he has kangaroo genes. I have many, many very tall oak trees, Cody knows that's where the squirrels hang out so his head is always turned to the sky lol.

Ohhh I hope your little ones will stay out of trouble and will not get hurt!!! But your stories are giving me a LOL moment here :D Fearless, relentless little hunters :animal-pa

I have had yorkies since the early 80's, I know what a yorkies prey drive is like lol. In my back yard I have 6 inch black tubing attached to my down spout to divert water away from my deck footing, chipmunks hide their stash in it, Cody caught a rodent scent, ripped the tubing off the down spout, photo of the result. I watch my yorkies like a hawk, in a split second they are off looking for trouble lol.

I was talking to my vet when I took Callie in about Ollie catching his mouse. Well the biggest issues with mice are worms and Lepto so if it wasn’t a fluke and he catches another mouse and or the others catch one I will be seriously looking into vaccinating for Lepto. He never broke the skin of the mouse and I have been watching him and I’m pretty sure everything is ok.

This is very good to know, thank you Taylor for putting this out there.

When weather turns cold field mice look for warm homes, hopefully that was his first and last kill, but he will be sniffing and searching the spot where he caught that one, he's got the scent now lol.

We are having a serious issue with mice. I'm not sure what the issue is no food of anything is being left out for them to eat. My aunt is having the same issue. All we can really do is mice traps where the pups can't get them. I just hope catching one was a fluke. I hate to give Lepto when Joey does so poorly with vaccines. Joey, Penny and Ollie have never had the Lepto vaccine so I have that fear of what if they have the terrible reactions to it like yorkies seem prone to have. Callie was vaccinated for it for a few years when she was younger so I know she does ok with it. Ugh worries worries worries.

If you have mice all year round your dad has to find where they are coming in which I am very sure he has already done this and sealed all openings. He has to look further to find where they are entering the home. If you only get them when the weather gets cold that's normal for mice to seek a warm house for the winter. It doesn't matter that no food is left out, they are seeking shelter from the cold. If your dad cannot find where they are coming in he can hire an exterminator they usually can tell / find where they are entering and seal that entrance. These are field mice entering your home. Setting out traps in areas where the dogs cannot get access to is the only choice you have. I wouldn't do the Lepto vaccine unless all or some of your pups were catching several mice a week. Keep your eye on Ollie, he'll be sniffing around looking for another one, check the areas he sniffs at.

It is definitely a winter thing but it’s not even been really cold here for some strange reason. He was obsessed with one of the vents so I closed it. I always worry about Callie because her immune system is compromised and with her age I fear her getting sick. If I did do Lepto everyone would be getting Benadryl before hand. I really think it might have been a fluke but still always watching him because he thinks he is the mighty hunter now lol.

We use my hamster treats and they work extremely well. We have cought in traps at least 7 maybe more.

What you consider not cold is cold for mice. He'll be looking for them now. After Matese's first kill she was worse then ever. That dog was always on the hunt, even when it was time to eat, I would have to go out, carry her in and close the door, after she ate she wanted out again to hunt. I bought a T-shirt that read Born to Hunt that was her lol. Just keep a good eye on where Ollie is sniffing,he will be looking. winter mice are a pain in the butt. I still wouldn't do the lepto, you say Callie doesn't have a big prey drive.

No she doesn’t but if one of the other gets it they can give it to her and even us humans which is why Lepto is scary. I’m going to wait and see if he catches another one first then I will look at my incident map for Lepto in my area and talk to the vet. He seems to know they aren’t real active until night so he doesn’t take position until then but when it’s time for bed he has to be removed from his station lol.

LOL Ollie the night stalker,lol, he's a smart lil fellow. Follow your instincts.

Good job Ollie! :thumbup::):eek::D



Taylor, I think that I would rather remove a tick than have to get a mouse away from Teddy, who I'm sure has the killer instinct. :p

You have no idea how happy I was when he dropped it. I was freaking out about having to “go in” and get it!

Well Ollie got his second mouse last night :eek:! He didn't make any noise doing it because it was literally right next to my chair! My dad has been under the house found no mouse evidence but he did set a big trap that caught several. We are now setting lots of mice traps in almost every room where the pups can not get them. We are very close to calling a pest company but are trying to hold out because its expensive and they normally like to use poisons. Penny is angry she has not caught one but she sleeps on the job and Joey was chasing one the other night but it ran under the door so he ran into the door, poor guy.