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When is a Dog Not a Dog?

Katie walked to school proudly on Monday, happy that she finally had a pet to tell about in Show and Tell. She knew it would surprise her friends and teacher, but that made it all the more exciting. No one else in her third grade had a prairie dog right in his own backyard.

Katie had discovered him two days ago. As she took the garbage out, after their late Sunday lunch, she spotted the hole beside the garbage bin. Later, as she sat on the back step, she saw the brown, furry creature scurry across the lawn. He was larger than most prairie dogs she had seen, so she named him Goliath.

Goliath stopped and sat up, his front paws hanging limply across his chest, wagging his tail. Katie could easily see that he resembled a dog and understood why the French explorers years ago mistook Goliath’s ancestors for the domestic creatures they had known at home. The explorers had named the animals ‘prairie dogs’ but later realized that they were rodents and part of the squirrel family.

Katie sat motionless, not wanting to frighten Goliath. He was so close that she could see the hazel coloring of the iris in his eyes. It was supposed to block out some of the ultra-violet rays, helping him see in the bright sunlight. His eyes were located high and forward on his head, so he could see an enemy coming from either side or in front or even from above. Katie thought that he would be safe from rattlesnakes and other predators in her backyard.

Suddenly, the neighbor’s cat leaped over the fence and landed on the step. Just as quickly, Goliath scampered into his burrow. His small ears, lying low on the side of his head, barely scraped the edge of the hole.

Katie wished that she could join him in his underground house. She had read that prairie dogs had complicated burrows. He could be waiting at his listening post. Or maybe he was scurrying past the flood control room, past the nursery and toilet, toward his back door emergency exit. A mound of dirt surrounded the opening where she stood. It must be the entrance. The exit could be behind her backyard.

That had been only two days ago. Today everything had changed.

“We can’t allow Goliath to stay,” her mother said. “He’s not a pet dog. He’s eating my garden vegetables.”

Father wasn’t thrilled with her new found pet either. “Goliath is supposed to eat grass but the garden is too tempting. Next he’ll probably dig up the bigger plants to get water from the moist roots. You’ll see.”

Katie quickly explained. “No. There are cacti in the prairie fields. He’ll eat them for water. Goliath could be good for your garden. He has to eat grasshoppers and cutworms for protein.” Her mother was not convinced.

In the morning, her father came out to examine the damage in the garden. Katie stood beside him, digging the toe of her shoe into the loose dirt. As they stood there in silence, Katie heard a shrill bark.

“That’s Goliath, Dad! Do you see him?” Katie turned in circles, searching for the disgraced rodent.

“I have an idea!” Dad cut in. “I think he’s in the lawn mower. He could have crawled into the chute thinking it was a burrow.”

Katie held the empty garbage can firmly while her father gently shook Goliath out of the lawn mower – and plop! – into the large garbage can.

“I can see why you named him Goliath,” her dad said. “He must be at least forty-three centimeters long and could easily weigh one-and-a-half kilograms.”

“Well, I’m not sure if Goliath’s a ‘he’,” said Katie. “But since it’ still early summer, the female’s mammary glands should be obvious.”

Her father ignored her and slapped a lid over the can. “We have to get rid of this thing, Katie,” was all he said and then he stomped up the steps into the kitchen.

Katie took the lid off again, slowly. “You poor frightened wild creature.” She spoke softly, trying to soothe him.

Katie knew that years ago farmers and rangers had declared war on the prairie dogs. They had used poisoned grain to destroy these beautiful animals that were eating their crops. Why that might even happen to Goliath! She decided to allow him to run free, free to the wide grassy fields that stretched behind her fence.

Purposefully she laid the garbage can lid on the back step and joined Mom and Dad in the kitchen. Half an hour later Katie sneaked out to the backyard again. She crawled to the garbage can, her heart beating fast. Goliath was gone! Gone safely and freely to his new home in the open fields, she hoped.

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