Elvis Catches A Bird

Donna is still in Dallas, but I have a quick update on Elvis. I washed dog laundry today (the bedding from Elvis and Skeeter's crates) and hung it out to dry since it was a warm and sunny day. About 3:45 I decide to go out and bring it in. Naturally, I let Elvis and Skeeter come out with me. They run out into the yard. I grab the crate bedding and head back in to put it in the crates without Skeeter's assistance.

I open the door to go back out after some towels and hear birds squawking their heads off. I look up and notice a bunch of loud blue jays diving around Elvis and Skeeter. Then I notice Elvis has a bird in his mouth and is gumming it. (What do you expect? He only has two teeth.) I guess his attempt to chase after a bird last month was not some type of fluke.

I call him and try to get him to bring it to me. Given all the West Nile and stuff in the area, he doesn't need to be eating a dead bird. He takes off across the yard -- away from me, naturally. I change to my yard shoes and go out after him. Now you have to understand that he's a fast old guy and the only way to catch him is to corner him. I'm not really trying to catch him, I just hoping he will drop the dead bird near me so I can grab it. Nothing doing. He runs off with the bird.

Walking doesn't get me near enough. I run. He goes all over the yard. I trip on a tree root and fall. Skeeter thinks falling means I'm playing. I get back up, discover the fall hasn't done anything for my hernia, and stumble after Elvis. Elvis finally drops the bird on the gravel path to the patio when he realizes I'm able to block both his exits back to the yard. I quickly grab the surprising well-chewed bird and take it to the trash. From looking at it, it was a young bird, probably not able to fly well yet -- which would explain the other birds makes such a fuss.

I was afraid that Elvis would be terrified of me as I chased him or starting coughing up a storm from all his running. Surprisingly, he was neither terrified nor coughing. Perhaps the fact that his dinner was coming up in 60-90 minutes had something to do with how quickly I was forgiven.

For an old dog with a lot of health problems, Elvis has a lot of energy. More than I do in 94 degree weather, come to think of it. He's asleep under my desk as I write this, probably dreaming of the bird that did not get away.