What the dog sees

The backyard wildlife habitat is home of a healthy population of chipmunks.  A housepainter once remarked that he saw more chipmunks at our house than any other house he knew.

Our first dog Sadie caught a chipmunk once and I was aghast.  After that, she never chased another one.  And in all the years that she lived at our house, she never dug a hole.  Not one.

Our dog Shelly is another story. She makes it her business to rid our yard of chipmunks. And that means digging lots of holes.

Here is one at the edge of my backyard rain garden.  The hole is on the lower left.  The roots of the pawpaw tree and daylilies were no match for her tenacity. 

A closeup shows a hole 8 inches deep.  Luckily, the chipmunk lair goes even deeper, maybe a foot.

In one area of the yard, the chipmunk hole goes under the fence in my azalea garden.  Shelly had almost escaped before I dragged her out with the leash.  A cinder block prevented her from more digging there.

I struggle with gardening in one dark corner of the yard.  Oak and hickory trees block the light from reaching the ground level for shrubs and perennials.  I finally got some native Sweet Betsy to thrive here.  This photo was taken at about 10 am on a cloudless summer day and the camera's auto flash came on. 

 

Shelly excavated a deep hole at the base of the healthiest plant.  Sigh.

What goes on in that dog brain?  Hard question.  Easier question: What does the dog see?

When we see this:

The dog sees this:

Don't you feel like running at high speed to the other end of the yard?

When we see this:

The dog sees this:

Don't you feel threated by an insect or small mammal lurking inside the Virginia creeper?

When we see this:

The dog sees this:

I'll bet that something delicious is lurking under the garden shed.

It is enlightening to see the backyard wildlife habitat from an alternate point of view.