Tuesday, June 12, 2012

In which Polar Bear goes hunting for frogs

It's wet outside.  Heavy rain earlier and light drizzle now.  And Polar Bear (usually shortened to Pola - or rat on a rope when she's on a lead), our little long haired white Jack Russell terrier, is out hunting for frogs.

Every year they breed in the little pond.  Enough survive their first few months as tadpoles to keep the population going.  Sometimes, when I'm weeding, I disturb youngsters or adults hiding in the vegetation - and on rainy evenings in summer they come out to play.  I'm happy to have them in the garden to keep down my rampant slog and snail population.  Mind you, lots of these...


Common frog
 ...doesn't seem to lead to any less of these:

Garden snail

Probably because the snails have taken refuge high in my plants and the frogs are strictly ground based.

Polar Bear knows that when it's wet the frogs will be out and about.  So on rainy evenings in summer she'll agitate to go out for a hunt.  Basically, she cons me.  She pretends that she needs a final toilet break before settling down for the night.  But really she's hunting for frogs. 

Not that she does them any harm.  She seems quite content to sniff them and then watch them jump away.  But they do fascinate her - and trying to get her inside again can be a little bit of a problem if she's found one.  About twenty minutes worth of problem this evening.  Little dogs can be very evasive.  No matter how demure they look.

1 comment:

  1. Pola looks adorable! At least she doesn't harm the frogs and just as fascinated by them you are. Frogs are a welcome sight in the garden, they do keep some nasties down but some snails are simply too clever (seems to be anyway) :)

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