The Spouse Briefs: All-natural pest control

When we first moved to Clovis, my husband had the option of putting rocks or grass in our front lawn. Unlike most of our neighbors he opted for mostly grass. It took awhile but finally after months of careful work we had a beautifully-established lawn. We soon came to understand that we were not the only ones with plans for that lush green grass.

Next to our newly-built house was a field of dirt riddled with holes. I hadn't paid much attention to those holes up to this point, but that would soon change. One day when returning from a family outing, we drove up to our house to find our lush lawn covered in prairie dogs. I felt violated. They were ripping up what we had so careful nurtured and cared for, stuffing it into their greedy little maws. I jumped out of the car like a wild woman and ran screaming at them. They left, but ever so leisurely. It shortly became an everyday occurrence. We would run out with a hose to chase them off and yell, but they only seemed to come back in larger numbers. Now I do understand from the perspective of my little pest friends that our lawn was like a buffet of abundance compared to their hardscrabble field. But I, as any greedy millionaire, wanted to keep all the green stuff for myself.

The final straw came weeks later when I looked out the window and noticed no less then 16 little critters snacking away. That was it; it was time to unleash our JDAM-guided bomb. That particular upgraded weapon comes in the form of a mid-sized Jack Russell Terrier. Without fanfare or warning we opened the front door and let him loose. There was no crazed barking, just methodical prairie dog corralling. Some of the rodents fled in terror and some froze in place. All around could be heard the sounds of chittering terror. I watched in fascinated horror as my sweet looking family pet let his breeding take over. He systematically rounded them all up and chased them back to their underground dwellings. In fact, my husband had to go and remove our lawn protector by hand when he tried to go down one of their holes.

Since that day, we have never again needed to unleash his full fury on our furry neighbors. Our lawn has never been graced by the presence of those snacking critters again. But I now I have one burning question; with all that raw athletic ability and ferocity why does our dog let the family cats walk all over him?

Rebecca Adling started life as an Air Force brat and is now enjoying life as a mother raising her own pile of adorable Air Force brats.