"Julia Altshuler" wrote in message
. ..
I don't expect anything to come of this, but I've been thinking about it,
so I thought I'd ask. What breeds make good mousers? Or what does one
look for in adopted dogs to make sure they're good mousers?


My friends have always had cats. The cats are expected to earn their keep
by killing mice in their basement. Their last cat wasn't working out. He
wasn't getting along with their present cat. He would pounce and attack
and scrap and scrape and wasn't affectionate. He was showing signs of
killing mice. Then he was killed in a car wreck while they were here
visiting me.


Cubbe did her usual ferocious-my-territory/oh-you-have-biscuits routine. I
always think this is hysterical as she goes from protective alert to
biscuits in a few minutes. She allowed herself to be petted a bit. She
allowed herself to be taken for a walk by that strange woman. I put
biscuits in an Irish crystal bowl ($1 at a garage sale!) and made sure the
stranges knew to walk by the biscuit bowl and give them to her whenever
they felt like it.


In time, the strange man was saying that she was a nice dog. He also said
that he's allergic to cats but fine with dogs. (So why did we spend half
a day vacuuming and washing bedding?)


I don't think they're getting a dog, but I did get curious about whether
there's a dog out there that would be perfect for them, one that's a good
mouser and one that wouldn't get into the mischief their kitten did.
(They're not the sort to ignore an animal and expect it to behave. The
kitten was on the extreme side.) Mostly I'm wondering what you'd look for
when checking out dogs to adopt. I see all sorts of things about how to
tell if a dog is a natural retriever. But mousing? Mousing trials? Not
every terrier is a mouser.

I've never owned a terrier. The dog I had that was a good ratter was one of
our Shar Peis. She even learned the word "rat," and would paw at the floor
and sniff to show me there was a rat under the house.

She'd catch and kill rats and bring them to us expecting praise, I think,
which she always got.

She'd go out in the garage and stand still as a statue, until an
unsuspecting rat got close enough for her to grab it. Rarely was she able
to run one down with any success, but her method worked pretty well. A
couple shakes, it was dead, and then she'd carry it into the house, put it
at our feet and stand at attention with her tail wagging.

flick 100785

"Julia Altshuler" wrote in message
. ..
I don't expect anything to come of this, but I've been thinking about it,
so I thought I'd ask. What breeds make good mousers? Or what does one
look for in adopted dogs to make sure they're good mousers?

The best mousers I've encountered were smooth haired fox terriers. They're
also excellent ratters!
Cj

Genny clearly had a fair amount of terrier in her heritage, but when my
mother had a rat problem and borrowed her, Genny, while good natured
about playing roommate, was uninterested in rats. Calling a carpenter
to rebuild the rotted away wood wall from behind the stove solved the
vermin problem, and Genny moved back in with me.


It would be mean of me to suggest that my friends get another pet so
soon after the death of their kitten, a kitten who, by the way, is
gaining in virtue and fond memories the longer he's dead. If the
subject does come up some time in the future, I'll suggest a terrier.


--Lia

"montana wildhack" wrote in message
news:2007102310515650073-montana@wildhackcominvalid...

I wonder if an enthusiastic, happy, "Ewwww! Gross!" counts as praise.

Heh. I told her she was a Good Dog!, but the kids were sometimes a bit
startled.

flick 100785